kl@zz

What a teacher makes ...

2012-01-06T18:52:00.003+08:00

A friend asked me to share this moving tale:

A school principal was speaking at a graduation dinner.
He said: "A doctor wants his child to become a doctor...
Engineer wants his child to become engineer......
Businessman wants his ward to become CEO.....
BUT a teacher also wants his child to become one of them..!!!!
Nobody wants to become a teacher by choice," he said.
"Very sad but that's the truth!," said the principal.
As the dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life, one man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
To stress his point he said to another guest;
"You're a teacher. Be honest. What do you make?"
The teacher, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied:
"You want to know what I make?
(She paused for a second, then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honour winner.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 minutes without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.
You want to know what I make ?
(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them how to write and then I make them write.
Keyboarding isn't everything.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life
(The teacher paused one last time and then continued.)
Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ALL YOUR LIVES, EDUCATING KIDS AND PREPARING THEM TO BECOME CEO's, DOCTORS AND ENGINEERS....
What do you make Mr. CEO?

Guiding principles ...

2011-12-14T18:36:00.000+08:00

Meeting in Bangkok to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), delegates adopted an ethical guidelines declaration for their work.

The declaration says:

"As the world and our region moves to more tumultuous times, as humanity faces growing financial and social problems, as we witness more conflicts and natural disasters and as the media world faces a huge shift, we, the delegates at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of OANA, gathered here in Bangkok, Thailand, from December 13th to the 15th, commemorating 50 years of our noble responsibility of upholding the fundamentals to our founding charter, to transcend all known barriers to the free flow of information necessary to securing lasting peace, the recognition of ethnic and cultural wealth beyond traditional borders, and the safeguarding of human rights and dignity, hereby declare our collective commitments to:

- Act responsibly in covering wars, conflicts, terrorism, violence and natural disasters bearing in mind the public interest in full, fair and accurate reporting, respect for privacy and universal human rights.

- Take great care about the quality and style of our stories that they do not encourage violence, spread fear, traumatise, damage the principles of equality and justice, degrade human dignity and foster discrimination.

- Refrain from publishing stories or visual material that will be deemed offensive and discriminatory on the basis of class, race, language, religion, gender, and region that will generate feelings of hostility among people.

- Accept the sanctity of human life and avoid running pictures or video footage that will hurt the dignity of victims and cause further suffering to their families and psychological distress in public.

- Respect the privacy of the individual and the dignity of the dead regardless of who they are.

- Exercise great judgement in distributing graphic pictures and videos of executions, close-up shots of dead or wounded people and mutilated bodies and limbs, degrading human dignity.

Acknowledging our inevitable responsibility to incorporate the above stated guidelines into our editorial principles, we pledge to work closely with one another in implementing this declaration."

Money is yours but ..

2011-11-25T18:50:00.003+08:00

Something to ponder from the following email that I received today:

Germany is a highly industrialised country. It produces top brands like Benz, BMW, Simons etc.
The nuclear reactor pump is made in a small town in this country.
In such a country, many will think its people leads a luxurious life.
At least that was my impression before my study trip.
When I arrived at Hamburg, my colleagues who work in Hamburg arranged a welcome party
for me in a restaurant. As we walked into the restaurant, we noticed that a lot of tables were empty.
There was a table where a young couple was having their meal.
There were only two dishes and two cans of beer on the table.
I wondered if such simple meal could be romantic, and whether the girl will leave this stingy guy.
There were a few old ladies on another table. When a dish is served, the waiter would
distribute the food for them, and they would finish every bit of the food on their plates.
We did not pay much attention to them, as we were looking forward to the dishes we ordered.
As we were hungry, our local colleague ordered more food for us.
As the restaurant was quiet, the food came quite fast. Since there were other activities
arranged for us, we did not spend much time dining.
When we left, there were still about one third of unconsumed food on the table.
When we were leaving the restaurant, we heard someone calling us.
We noticed the old ladies in the restaurant were talking about us to the restaurant owner.
When they spoke to us in English, we understood that they were unhappy about us
wasting so much food. We immediately felt that they were really being too busybody.
"We paid for our food, it is none of your business how much food we left behind,"
my colleague Gui told the old ladies.
The old ladies were furious. One of them immediately took her handphone out and
made a call to someone.
After a while, a man in uniform claimed to be an officer from the Social Security organisation arrived.
Upon knowing what the dispute was, he issued us a 50 Mark fine.
We all kept quiet. The local colleague took out a 50 Mark note and repeatedly apologised to the officer.
The officer told us in a stern voice, "ORDER WHAT YOU CAN CONSUME, MONEY IS
YOURS, BUT RESOURCES BELONG TO THE SOCIETY.
THERE ARE MANY OTHERS IN THE WORLD WHO ARE FACING SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES. YOU HAVE NO REASON TO WASTE RESOURCES."
Our faces turned red. We all agreed with him in our hearts.
The mindset of people of this rich country put all of us to shame.
WE REALLY NEED TO REFLECT ON THIS. We are from country which is not very rich in resources.
To save face, we order large quantities and also waste food when we give others a treat.

THIS LESSON TAUGHT US TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT CHANGING OUR BAD HABITS.

My colleague photostated the fine ticket and gave a copy to each of us as a souvenir.
All of us kept it and pasted on our wall to remind us that we shall never be wasteful.

A father's love .....

2011-09-23T19:14:00.004+08:00

My colleague Neville emailed me this touching story:

My dad only had one eye. I hated him... He was such an embarrassment.
He cooked for students and teachers to support the family.
There was this one day during elementary school where my dad came to say hello to me.
I was so embarrassed.
How could he do this to me?
I ignored him, threw him a hateful look and ran out.
The next day at school one of my classmates said, "EEEE, your dad only has one eye!"
I wanted to bury myself
I also wanted my dad to just disappear.
I confronted him that day and said: " If you're only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don't you just die?"
My dad did not respond....
I didn't even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger.
I was oblivious to his feelings.
I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with him.
So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study.
Then, I got married.
I bought a house of my own.
I had kids of my own.
I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts, Then one day, my father came to visit me.
He hadn't seen me in years and he didn't even meet his grandchildren.
When he stood by the door, my children laughed at him, and I yelled at him for coming over uninvited.
I screamed at him, "How dare you come to my house and scare my children!"
GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!"
And to this, my father quietly answered, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,"
And he disappeared out of sight.
One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house..
So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip.
After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.
My neighbours said that he died.
I did not shed a single tear.
They handed me a letter that he had wanted me to have.

"My dearest son,
I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I came to your house and scared your children.
I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion.
But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you.
I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.
You see........when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye.
As a father, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with one eye.
So I gave you mine.
I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With all my love to you,
Your father. "

P/S: Always tell someone that you love them because you never know what day will be their last, or your own.
Always seek to resolve your problems or disagreements with loved ones
Because if either of you should pass on before, the one who is left alive will have the rest of their life to ponder those unresolved feelings but will never find closure. And closure usually brings Peace...

Alluring Mongolia ...

2011-07-03T18:37:00.008+08:00

After spending the last eight years in Dubai, Filipino engineer Dennis Pimentel has turned to Mongolia to join the exodus of expatriate hands to magnetic Oyu Tolgoi mine.
"I like the place the locals call it OT just like UB for Ulan Bator because it's cold and the people are warm...they are very hospitable."

As we bumped into each other at Seoul airport (I was returning to KL from UB while he was going to UB), Pimentel said he needed the job to support his wife and the couple's two sons, aged 12 and 16, in Manila.
"I design roads in OT (Oyu Tolgoi) but I don't know when the project will end, it's a contract," said the 37-year-old who has been in Mongolia over the past five months.
OT is the world's largest undeveloped copper-gold project and is located in the South Gobi region of Mongolia, approximately 550km south of the capital Ulan Bator (locals call it Ulaanbaatar) and 80km north of the Mongolia-China border.
Pimentel has grown fond of Mongolia which has only 2.9 million people, almost half of them living in the capital built for 500,000.
"Despite the mineral rich status, the Mongolians are environmental-conscious and want to preserve the Gobi desert," he said.
Mongolian Prime Minister S. Batbold said, the mining industry had been intensively developing the country and a massive work on putting such world class deposits as OT copper mine and Tavan Togoi coal deposit into economic turnover have been actively conducted, attracting the interest of many countries.
"Mongolia finds itself among countries with relatively high rates of economic growth," he told the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA)Executive Board Meeting (EBM) here last Tuesday.
"If in 2010, our economy enjoyed six per cent growth rate, in the first
quarter of 2011, it increased to 9.7 per cent," he said.
Construction of high-rise buildings could be seen everywhere in the capital.
The OT mine or Turquoise Hill is a combined open pit and underground mining
project in Khanbogd sum within the south Gobi Desert.
It is developed as a joint venture involving the Ivanhoe Mines of Canada,
Australia's Rio Tinto and the Mongolian Government.
The production is scheduled to begin in 2013.
The OT mining project is the largest financial undertaking in Mongolia's history and is expected, upon completion, to account for more than 30 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
Last year, the number of processing factories in the country increased by 10
per cent.
Noting the intense speed in growth of the trade and services sector, Batbold
said Mongolia was also proud of the robust penetration of information technologies.
"A historic contribution of our nomadic ancestors to the world's culture was
the communication system of 'morin urtuu's' or horse relay station that the Mongolians had organised in 13th-14th centuries to link China, Mongolia, Russia
and Europe," he said.
Mongolian National News Agency (Montsame) General Director T. Baasansuren said the economic future of Mongolia looked bright.
"The government has identified 17 large deposits of oil, copper, fluorite, molybdenum, gold, uranium, etc...
"Bilateral and multilateral talks on joint exploration of these deposits have been going on intensively," he said, expressing confidence that the development of mining would completely change the structure of Mongolia's economy.
"According to estimates of the international investment bank, JP Morgan, Mongolia's GDP will grow not less than by 15 per cent between 2011 and 2015.
"Hence in 2016, Mongolia's GDP per capita will increase from the current USD$2,000 to USD$8,000.
"When the Oyu Tolgoi copper deposit which attracted large international attention is put into exploration in 2013, Mongolia will supply between three
and five per cent of the world's copper," said Baasansuren.

United against copyright ...

2011-06-29T19:02:00.004+08:00

The Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) will have to collectively fight the copyright issue instead of letting members to deal with it on their own, said OANA president Hilmi Bengi.
Wrapping-up a two-day OANA Executive Board meeting in Ulan Bator today (Wednesday), Bengi said the problem had greatly affected income of news agencies operating on commercial basis.

"The Internet news aggregators gather our output and give them out for free," said Bengi, adding that he hoped that OANA could have a separate meeting to discuss the issue.
He said as the meeting was for the executive board, its participation and issues raised were rather restricted.
However Bengi said country reports presented by every board member were useful as they could share experience especially in new products like television service.
Members also picked out winners for a photo contest held on the sidelines of the meeting. Kyodo won the grand award and special prize for its submission on tsunami, Anadolu for best picture while the other special prize went to Montsame.
The board members later met Mongolian Parliament Speaker D.Demberel at Parliament House.
The 11-member board comprises of Anadolu of Turkey as president, four vice-presidents, namely Bernama (Malaysia), Antara (Indonesia), Itar-TASS (Russia) and IRNA (Iran). The remaining members are Yonhap South Korea, Press Trust of India (PTI), Azertaj (Azerbaijan), Australian Associated Press (AAP), Xinhua (China) and Montsame (Mongolia).
Formed in 1961 to encourage the free flow of news and information exchange among news agencies in Asia-Pacific, the 43-strong OANA will celebrate its 50th anniversary at its birth place Bangkok in December.

Bangkok anniversary bash for OANA

2011-06-28T18:58:00.006+08:00

A special event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) will be held in December at its birthplace -- Bangkok.

OANA President Hilmi Bengi made the announcement at the start of the organization's 33rd executive board meeting in Ulan Bator today (Tuesday).
He thanked the Thai News Agency (TNA) for agreeing to host the celebration,
which Bengi described as "the most important event".
OANA was formed with the backing of UNESCO in December 1961, as an effort to facilitate a free flow of news and information in Asia and the Pacific.
TNA Editor-in-Chief for Asean News Division Noraphon Pacharoen said the Thai
agency has slated Dec 7 to 9, for the OANA event.
Mongolian Prime Minister S.Batbold who addressed the meeting, said the role, significance, prestige and influence of the organization that unifies the region's news agencies was high.
"News agencies have always been playing important roles in countries' history. Their importance remained unchanged today," he said.
The meeting approved National News Agency (NNA)of Lebanon's application for membership, boosting the number to 43 news agencies from 34 countries.
It also reviewed decisions made at the last OANA General Assembly in Istanbul (November) and was briefed by Anadolu of Turkey on the new OANA website.
The 11-member board comprised Anadolu of Turkey as president, four vice-presidents, namely Bernama (Malaysia), Antara (Indonesia), Itar-TASS(Russia) and IRNA (Iran).
The remaining members are Yonhap South Korea, Press Trust of India(PTI), Azertaj (Azerbaijan), Australian Associated Press (AAP), Xinhua (China) and Montsame (Mongolia).

OANA holds meeting in Ulan Bator ...

2011-06-27T18:53:00.003+08:00

Leading Asia-Pacific news agencies are meeting in this Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator this week to enhance cooperation as content providers to cater for a wide range of clients with high expectations.
The 33rd Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA)Executive Board
Meeting will look into ways of how to improve the news content disseminated
among member countries.
It will also focus on multimedia news exchange management, moving forward
from just news and photo exchanges that had long been the focus of the 42-member
organisation.
Mongolian Prime Minister S. Batbold is scheduled to address the meeting on
Tuesday after opening remarks by new OANA President Hilmi Bengi, elected at the
OANA General Assembly in Istanbul, last November.
T. Baasansuren, president of host Mongolian news agency Montsame, in a joint
invitation with Bengi, said they were confident that the Ulan Bator meeting
would foster relations and interaction among member agencies.
The upcoming meeting was special because it coincided with the 50th
anniversary of OANA and the 90th anniversary of Montsame, they said.
The 11-member board comprises Anadolu of Turkey, as president, four
vice-presidents, namely Bernama (Malaysia), Antara (Indonesia), Itar-TASS
(Russia) and IRNA (Iran).
The remaining members are Yonhap (South Korea), Press Trust of India (PTI),
Azertaj (Azerbaijan), Australian Associated Press (AAP), Xinhua (China) and
Montsame (Mongolia).
Bernama is represented by General Manager Datuk Hasnul Hassan who had
proposed a video clip exchange as a way forward for member agencies to enhance
multimedia cooperation.
Bernama has conducted a trial run for the video exchange or clearing house
with four member agencies, including Montsame, in recent months.

Lessons from Japan ...

2011-04-03T20:24:00.003+08:00

A friend emailed me about 10 things to learn from the destruction of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.

1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been alleviated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn't fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly

*One CNN reporter mentioned he interviewed an elderly lady who had lost her house and everything but still offered him some candy during the interview.

Congratulations...

2011-03-31T12:48:00.003+08:00

Congratulations to Bernama staff who will receive the Excellence Service Award for 2010. The list of recipients was announced today.

Getting on to my 5 series….

2011-03-27T18:42:00.000+08:00

With so many things going on around me, I gracefully entered my ‘5 series’ with optimism of the challenges ahead.
The roads may be bumpy or smooth but I wouldn’t know how far the journey will be.
All I know is I am getting nearer to my destination as the years go by.
As I turn 50 today, my thoughts go to the five stars in my signature.
I have often been asked about their significance.

That’s not difficult to explain – one star each for my three children, my wife and I.
So wherever I go especially on overseas trips, they will always be with me.

Simply awesome..

2011-03-26T17:45:00.011+08:00

These motivational words about success were clearly written on the wall of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Taman Keramat.

The school held an excellence award presentation this morning to reward its outstanding students.
The ceremony coincided with the school's 31st parent-teachers association annual general meeting.
Dressed in her new baju kurung, my daughter Dina looked resplendent as she drove me to the school. She had told me that she would be getting a prize for her SPM achievement.
This proud father would not want to miss the opportunity, waiting excitedly to the event. But what turned out was a big surprise indeed.
Dina went up the stage not one but three times to collect her awards.
And each time her name was called, it carried along my name -- three times!!!
I was so touched and of course, proud.

It made me even prouder to know that she was the most outstanding student in the school when she was awarded the 'Anugerah Tokoh Pelajar 2010' (Student Personality Award 2010).
As she stood on stage to receive the award, the master-of-ceremony read the following citation:
The award recipient is Diyanah Zufazlin bt Ahmad Zukiman. This SMART jewel shines in various fields. She is liked by teachers and idolized by many students in school because of her character. It is no surprise that she has received various awards such as Admirable Personality and Excellent Prefect. She is committed in discharging her duties as school prefect for five years she had been in school and was appointed as head girl for the 2009/2010 session.
In co-curriculum, she was active and excelled in softball and hockey. She represented the school and district in the sports at the Gombak District School Sports Council and Selangor School Sports Council competitions. She also held the post of chairman and vice chairman in various school clubs and societies.
23 March 2011 will be a date to remember for her when she received her excellent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results with 6As.
Diyanah Zufazlin has proven that despite being active in co-curriculum activities, she had successfully balanced it with an excellent academic achievement.
Thus, the school awards her with ‘Anugerah Tokoh Pelajar 2010’ (Student Personality Award 2010).

My 'little girl' brings big joy...

2011-03-23T20:26:00.004+08:00

My little girl had a big surprise when she collected her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results -- 6As.
So overwhemingly surprised that Dina felt she was dreaming.
"Is it ok Pa?" she asked me excitedly over the phone to inform me about her achievement.
Okay? It was more than okay to me.
I am so proud of her.
Before she went to get the result this morning, I had told her that whatever it is, we must be thankful to Allah.
Just a few days ago, she passed her driving test on her first try.
I sense that she had kept the excitement down as the bigger suspense was the SPM result.
Having obtained the licence, she requested to drive to school and pleaded with us not to accompany her.
She wanted to be with her friends. They had been close friends who stuck to one another like glue over years of secondary schooling that has now become memories.

Although Dina humbly says she had not targeted any A, she had studied hard for the school-end examinations.
As the examinations drew nearer, she would stay up into the wee hours of the night to revise the subjects. Besides the tougher subjects like Mathematics, she had to deal with the Sciences -- Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
There were days when she went to school without sleep.
Looking back, Dina said the last-minute preparation was pleasantly rewarding.
While friends can be a source of inspiration, she says believing in Allah is the key to success.
Apart from revision, she frequently did the 'solat hajat' to prepare for the examination.
As my little girl seeks to pursue her studies, I thanked Allah for all the blessings that have been showered to the family.
Dina is our youngest after Adam, now pursuing diploma in tourism, and Yasmin, a mass communication graduate.

Binding ties with Pyongyang...

2011-03-22T21:00:00.009+08:00

Almost 20 years after Malaysia and North Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in information, officials from both countries met in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to discuss its progress.
Led by Vice Chairman of Public Information Committee Jong Yong Chol, the four-man North Korean side expressed optimism to continue cooperation with Malaysia.
Possible cooperation were exchange of radio, television, film and documentary programmes.
Bernama, the Malaysian National News Agency, is ready to step up news exchange with Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), such as on sports, economic and culture. Both are members of the Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA).
Apart from talks at Angkasapuri, the North Korean delegation visited Radio and Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and Wisma Bernama at Jalan Tun Razak today. They even stayed for lunch before heading for Putrajaya to visit the federal administrative capital.

During his visit to Bernama, Jong was surprised when I showed him photographs of the 1992 meeting in Pyongyang.
I was a young reporter then who had accompanied the Information Minister, the late Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat (still Datuk at the time) to Pyongyang for the talks.
It was a memorable trip partly because I was a last-minute inclusion in the minister's delegation that also visited Fukuoka in Japan.
In a way, it reflected the importance of Bernama to report about such landmark event in Pyongyang.
I remember taking along my Olivetti typewriter to file reports. After typing down the stories, I had to look around for telex facility to relay the stories home.
The minister managed to convince the North Korean side to take us up to Panmunjom, at the border of North and South Korea -- a trip that taught me a lot about international relations.
We even met the late North Korean President Kim Il-sung and had a group photograph with him, which appeared prominently on the front-page of the leading newspaper on 26 May, 1992.

Landmark Bernama-Antara summit...

2011-03-13T16:57:00.001+08:00

After the opening of Bernama-Antara Summit in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, senior officials of the two agencies headed for Melaka for the summit discussion.
Meeting at the Puteri Resort in Ayer Keroh, Melaka this morning, Bernama General Manager Hasnul Hassan and Antara's Editor-in-Chief Saiful Hadi led their respective sides.
On the agenda of the first-ever summit were possible areas of cooperation to bolster ties between the two agencies.
This include exchange of reporters and photographers, photography on Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan, joint photography exhibitions and the publication of photography collection.
Other collaborations include the joint publication of Sinergi, a quarterly magazine and the alternate hosting of the Bernama-Antara Summit.
The publication of a coffee table book on cultural similarities of Malaysia and Indonesia was also explored.
Another significant collaboration is the exchange of visual footages between Bernama TV and Antara TV, set to be launched in June.
The summit was a follow up of the Malaysia-Indonesia Joint Committee Meeting on Information and Communication held in Kuala Lumpur last year.
In conjunction with the summit, a half-day seminar on bridging ties between Malaysia and Indonesia was held.

Melaka Chief Minister Ali Rustam delivered the keynote highlighting the various sectors being pursued to further develop the state.
Antara will host next year's summit.

A lifetime role and beyond ...

2010-06-20T09:28:00.002+08:00

"It is much easier to become a father than to be one." -- acclaimed American author Kent Nerburn

There’s a Malay saying “Sayangkan isteri tinggal-tingalkan, sayangkan anak tangan-tangankan”.
Literally it means, if you love your wife, you should be prepared to venture out to work and if you love your children, you must willing to beat them when they do wrong.
I am fortunate because my late father never laid his hand on me. He brought me up with care after my mother passed away when I was six.
As Father’s Day is being rejoiced today, my memories of growing up with my ‘Abah’ in the small town of Kuala Krai in Kelantan chokingly fills my mind. He was a school teacher then but what I learned most from him was the meaning of love.
And now that I am a Papa myself, I value the need to instill the feelings of love and humility in my children.
Looking at the saying from another view, a father need not necessarily beat or hit his children for their mistake, even a grave mistake for that matter.
What can the hand do apart from hitting or beating the child?
The hands are of course Allah’s gift for humans to carry out their work. In this instance a father has to ensure that the work he does is ‘halal’ for that would lead to ‘berkat’.
A father has to ensure that what he earns is derived from his hard toil effort and not from immoral sources or activities.
The hands should also be used to comfort the children when they need support. The effect of a father literally giving a pat on the back on his son or daughter or embracing them to show his affection can leave a lasting impact. The child will grow up to appreciate the love of the father.
Another important thing that the father should do with the hands is to put them together and say prayers (berdoa) to Allah in the hope that the children will have a good, meaningful life that could enrich the live of others.
In a nutshell, here’s something I picked up from the Net about what a father means:
Fathers are a combination of many special qualities. Father:
"F" stands for forgiving; the ability to understand that mistakes made are the tools for new learning not as a reason for negative punishment that only hurts;
"A" stands for affectionate; the constant quality that is always present no matter whether in private or public and is given without reservation;
"T" stands for teacher; the ability to share through experience, to lead by example, and to help see that negatives can be turned to positives;
"H" stands for harmony; the ability to show that balance in life is attainable and where the demonstration of compromise sets the best example of a needed life skill;
"E" stands for equity; the building of a valued relationship occurs through each day not just set aside for special days, and where love is built upon as a constant not as an exception;
"R" stands for reason; where decision are explained, where children are involved in the process of decision making and not as simply blind obedience.
B. R. Pulsifer

More than able ....

2010-06-02T19:10:00.025+08:00

Disabled doesn’t mean unable.
Born without legs and “my right hand is my everything”, Tuah Atan stood against all odds to become a lawyer.
After 20 years in the legal profession, Tuah continues to be "OKU activist" having been instrumental in drafting the Disabled Persons Act 2007. [OKU -- Orang Kurang Upaya (disabled person)].
“I tell myself enough is enough. If we want to do something, the mindset must be changed from sympathy to empathy.

“Physical attributes is all in the mind…it’s up to the individual to improve his life so he can live honourably.
At a lunch talk in Wisma Bernama today, the 48 year-old lawyer spoke of the challenges he had to face in his life pursuit.
“My life has its bitter and sweet moments…it depends on how you look at it.
“I’m just like you all, I need to be loved, I want to love, I want to give…and I guess other disabled persons feel the same way.
He said he succeeded because his parents gave him undivided love and support.
“Our home was a humble place but it was heaven for me,” he said about his ‘kampung’ in Asahan, at the foot of Gunung Tahan near the Melaka-Johor border.
"My father respected my needs..he provided me not just with academic but religious studies as well," he said.
He recalled how difficult it was for him to enter school as “there was no precedent” to take in someone like him.
He had to sit for some ‘IQ test’ at a hospital where he was asked to put blocks of shapes into the right holes.
“That was shameful and I told my dad that if I had to do those silly things, it was better that I didn’t go to school.
“The doctor who overheard our conversation was surprised I already spoke ‘Queen’s English although I was just seven then,” said Tuah who learnt the language in kindergarten.

When it was time for school admission, Tuah said he heard the headmaster telling the class teacher: “This is our new student, I don’t know how he can fit in”.
Although he felt bad, the young Tuah took up the challenge when he was placed in Standard 1D – “the last class”.
“My classmates were initially afraid of me. I was an alien to them and they thought I would bite them or eat them up,” said Tuah.
However, he won them over when he taught some of them to read and write.
“I didn’t have legs and hand but I have a little knowledge that I share with them on reading and writing…and they gave me their legs and hands.
“Isn’t it fair?…a gain-gain situation,” he exclaimed.
They got on so well in their studies that the following year, Tuah managed to take along 21 classmates -- half of his class, for promotion to Standard 2A. He remained among the top students, up to university level.
“I joined in the games the boys played in school…..why?
“It’s not that I actually wanted to play but I want to make friends.
“A disabled person who keeps to himself will be very lonely….when I opened up, I made a lot of friends,” he said.
He also made lots of friends because he took the effort to learn languages.
Apart from Malay and English, he speaks Melaka Hokkien, “a little bit of Tamil” and French “which helps me when I’m abroad”.
When he entered University Malaya to do Law, he had to hitch a ride on his friend’s motorcycle to get to class and when their lectures clashed, he had to walk on his own.
“Once I was riding pillion when it rained…the motorcycle skidded and hit a tree.
“It caused a loud noise and everyone rushed to us.
“Suddenly a girl student screamed ‘This accident is so serious, he lost his legs and hand’,” said Tuah.
"Despite in pain, my friend Ibrahim, now a Datuk, couldn’t control himself and broke into laughter," he said.
Tuah was active in campus.
“I even have my own band – ‘Musang Blues’ when I was in Third College,” said Tuah, who now runs his own legal firm, handling syariah and civil cases.
When he was in university, the late academician Dr Ismail Salleh, who was blind, became his idol.
"I kept a photo of him which eventually turned yellowish," he said.

On a lighter vein, Tuah said he often told youths especially "Mat Rempits" to value their lives.
"I tell them that if they continue with their stunts, they might end up like me...without legs and hand," he said with a smile.
(Wikipedia: A Mat Rempit is a Malaysian term for "an individual who participates in illegal street racing", usually involving underbone motorcycles, colloquially known as Kapcai).
For his deeds, Tuah was named the Tokoh OKU Melaka 2009 where he received the award last April. He had earlier been accorded with the Junior Chambers Youth Award 1995, Melaka Human Resource Award (disabled person category) and Melaka Disabled Person Award 1996.
The fourth of nine siblings has also won the state’s Tokoh Maal Hijrah (Professional) twice in 1997 and 2008.

(Bernama photo: Tuah receiving the ‘Tokoh OKU Melaka 2009’ award from the chief minister's wife, Datin Seri Asmah Abd Rahman at the state-level OKU Day celebrations in April 2010.)

Flash triggers excitement ...

2010-06-01T19:05:00.004+08:00

A flash can have several meanings.
For new agencies, the term is use to define news alert to subscribers of a major story. It is a one-sentence item that are transmitted as swiftly as possible once information is received from reliable sources.
The Cabinet reshuffle today is a good example of how Bernama, as a news agency, breaks a major story using flash.
After getting the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the editor on duty sends out a ‘one-liner’ on the new appointments to subscribers – the first ‘flash’ out around 5.30pm.
As the minor reshuffle involves several ministers and deputy ministers – mostly from MCA, several ‘one-liners’ on the appointments were thus sent out.
This helps subscribers especially radio and television stations to make spot announcements on air or run crawlers on screen.
As for newspaper subscribers, the ‘flash’ helps them to prepare their write-ups or otherwise, expect the stories from Bernama.
During the days of teleprinter, the sub-editors will indicate three to five ‘bells’ to the flash to notify subscribers the varying importance of the story.
Apart from Cabinet reshuffle, flash are used for election and sports results, court decisions, disasters and major government announcements including highlights of the Budget tabled in Parliament.
As the cabinet reshuffle had been speculated for weeks, there was no doubt that the Bernama news flash triggered excitement especially among its media subscribers across the nation.
It takes just a one-liner – the Bernama flash and one Malaysia is alerted of the Cabinet reshuffle.
For the record, MCA President Chua Soi Lek kept his promise to be left out of the Cabinet so as to concentrate on the party after a gruelling party election in March. Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat, who lost the president's post to Chua, was dropped.
The portfolio was taken up by secretary-general Kong Cho Ha, the Housing and Local Government Minister. Vice -president Chor Chee Heung, the deputy finance minister, was promoted to Housing and Local Government Minister while deputy president Liow Tiong Lai remained as Health Minister.
Another vice president Ng Yen Yen kept her Tourism portfolio while Donald Lim Siang Chai, another veep, is the new Deputy Finance Minister.
MIC Deputy President G.Palanivel, made a Senator recently, returned as Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities.
PPP longest-serving vice president Maglin Dennis D'Cruz was appointed as Deputy Information Communications and Culture Minister to take over from Heng Seai Kie who moved to Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
Serian MP Richard Riot received a 'Gawai' gift when he was made Deputy Foreign Minister -- the slot reserved for Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) that was held by Robert Lau Hoi Chew, who died in April.

Israel attacks Gaza-bound aid flotilla ....

2010-05-31T20:00:00.010+08:00

Israeli marines stormed an aid ship of the Lifeline4Gaza flotilla, killing at least nine international volunteers.
The Mavi Marmara is one of the seven ships in the flotilla on a humanitarian mission to Gaza, initiated by a coalition of 11 non-governmental organisations.

Eleven Malaysians including a reporter and a cameraman from Astro Awani were reported to be on board the Mavi Marmara and their fate is still unknown.
They were among 17 Malaysians in the "Freedom Flotilla". The other six Malaysians on the mission are aboard the Rachel Corrie vessel and they are reported safe.
Boarding from dinghies and rappelling from helicopters, naval commandos stopped six ships, 700 people and 10,000 tonnes of supplies from reaching the Palestinian enclave.
They forced the international volunteers into the Israeli port of Ashdod for questioning.
The attack in international waters some 68km from Gaza took place at about 9am Malaysian time.

Crises Management Team for LL4G Malaysia chairman Zulkifli Mohd Nani issued the following statement:
“1. As have been widely publicised, the Lifeline4Gaza flotilla has come under attack by the Israeli armed forces. Israeli aggressors have boarded the capital ship Mavi Marmara and open fire resulting in 3 volunteers dead and more than 30 others seriously injured. Mavi Marmara is one of the 7 strong flotilla enroute to Gaza to deliver the much awaited material aids to the besieged people of Gaza.
2. Twelve volunteers including media representatives from Malaysia is on board the capital ship Mavi Marmara. Their participation is purely humanitarian in nature.
3. All the objectives and movement of the flotilla is in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1860 (2009) and all relevant maritime regulations. Resolution 1860 stated among others:
a) Appeal for deliverance of humanitarian aid to Gaza including food, fuel and medical assistance.
b) Urge efforts to ease passage and other mechanisms for the unimpeded deliverance of aids.
c) Call for all nations to support such efforts at the international level to alleviate the dire humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza
d) condemns acts of agression and attacks on civilians and all forms of acts of terrorism.
Every Malaysian participants in the flotilla are holding fast to the international regulations and laws and vow to uphold the good name of Malaysia and our national aspirations.
4. The flotilla is laden with 10,000 tonnes of material aid. Over 540 volunteers are on board Mavi Marmara, including Parliamentarians, academics, journalists, scholars, an infant less than a year old and a senior citizen over 80 years old. No weapons were brought in this flotilla even for self defense which testifies to the wholly humanitarian nature of the mission.
5. Based on these facts it is very clear indeed that Israel has violated international laws. Whatmore the raid took place in international waters and on an unarmed aid ship on a humanitarian mission. Israeli rash action deserve a worldwide condemnation in the strongest possible term.
6. We appeal to the Government of Malaysia under the premiership of YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak and Datin Seri Paduka Rosmah Mansor in her capacity as patron for the Palestinian Aid Donations Drive to issue a statement condemning Israel for the murderous aggression on a peaceful flotilla whose objective is to deliver aid to the beseiged people of Gaza.
7. We call for the UN to convene an emergency assembly to pass a strong resolution against Israel and to summon Israeli leaders to the international court of justice for crime against humanity.
8. We call upon the Malaysians from all walks of life to express their utmost concern of the grave situation and to be ready to respond to any need for action and calls for our support in dealing with the incident.
9. We appeal to all political leaders, NGOs and the Malaysia people to join together in coming to the aid of the volunteers.
10. We also call upon every strata of the society to continue to supplicate and pray for the success of this mission and the safety of the volunteers from further untoward incidence.”

From the heart ...

2010-05-30T10:00:00.002+08:00

Good deeds come from the heart. If the heart is sincere in wanting to do something good, it will make the person happy, bringing him joy in giving and helping others.
“Kalau hati itu seperti bulan, jangan biarkan ia gerhana.
Kalau hati itu seperti awan, jangan biarkan ia mendung.
Kalau hati itu seperti air, jangan biarkan ia keruh,” says religious teacher Rujhan Muhamed Razali on the third and final segment of the week’s topic of “The Joy in Giving” live on “Tanyalah Ustaz” programme over TV9 this morning.
Literally, it means if the heart is like the moon or cloud or water, let it not be dark.

As he highlights the importance of good deeds, he quoted a story from a long hadith about a prostitute who was forgiven by Allah (S.W.T) and granted eternal Paradise for helping a thirsty dog.
The woman had came across the dog which was hanging about a well. Sensing the dog was thirsty, she took off her shoe, filled it with water from the well and gave it to the dog.
“If a woman whose work is despised of by society and religion could be forgiven for her good deed, imagine what it would be like for those who are always sincere in helping others,” he said.
To summarise, Rujhan quoted a famous hadith about deeds which we can do that will continue to reward us even after we are gone.
The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) told us: "When the son of Adam dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, knowledge from which others may benefit after he is gone, and a righteous son who will pray for him." (Muslim)
“The three relates to giving – charity, knowledge and providing a good upbringing for our children,” he said.

The joy in giving ….

2010-05-29T10:52:00.005+08:00

“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” – Winston Churchill

Sometimes the greatest joy can come from giving something that costs nothing at all. A simple note written with care or teaching others to bake a butter cake can speak volumes.
We’ve often heard that if there is nothing to give, a smile will do.
The topic on the joy of giving was highlighted by the popular talk-show “Tanyalah Ustaz” screened live over TV9 this morning.

Host for the week Rujhan Muhamed Razali, speaking on the topic "Keseronokan Memberi", reminded Muslims that giving reflects our gratitude to Allah for what we have been blessed with.
Many people have this positive quality of sharing and giving. They feel the need to give to others and that makes them feel better than even receiving something.
Rujhan, who frequently quotes the al-Quran and hadith and highlights interesting anecdotes, got me thinking when he posed this question:
“Someone with RM1,000 donates RM1 and another person who only has RM10 also gives out RM1. The amount may be similar but is the value (in giving) the same?”
One of the callers asked him whether time could be regarded as an asset when giving is concerned.
"I have a friend, a well-to-do guy but he has no time for his children…can time be considered a joy for giving?” asked the male caller.
Rujhan agreed that some people found it difficult to allocate time for their family and neighbours, let alone for religious obligations.
“Time is Allah’s gift to everyone – no matter rich or poor, everyone has 24 hours a day…the question is how we manage time,” he said.
He used a traveller as an analogy.
“Imagine after putting his clothes and other items into the travel bag, he finds it difficult to zip it – over packed and no more space.
“However after taking out everything and fold back the clothes and arranging them nicely into the bag, he may find that there are actually enough space for more.
“So, this is what time is – those who say they do not have time for others are the ones who are not able to arrange their clothes properly inside the bag,” said Rujhan.

Only hotel in Malaysia to hold Friday prayers ...

2010-05-28T15:19:00.009+08:00

It might still be the only hotel in Malaysia that holds Friday prayers.
But going by the large congregation today, the De Palma Hotel in Ampang would need to expand its surau to cater for the growing numbers.
Located on the third floor, the surau now receives 1,000 people each week for Friday prayers.

Apart from hotel guests and staff, those who perform Friday prayers at the surau are workers from offices and business premises within its vicinity, staff of foreign embassies and a nearby hospital and residents from surrounding areas.
A hotel staff says if not for the public holiday today, the congregation would have been larger.
In October 2008, the De Palma Hotel Ampang became the first hotel in the country to be given the nod to hold Friday prayers at its surau – Surau Nurul Hikmah.
The surau has won the "Best Surau award in the hotel industry" given by the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association.
The hotel employs four full-time imam for the surau. Apart from the five obligatory daily prayers, they handle various religious programmes including tazkirah during lunch time for twice a month, free Quran-reading classes and also tahlil functions.
The surau holds tazkirah, tarawih and Qiamullail functions during the fasting month of Ramadan.
News reports have highlighted about the hotel rebranding itself as a fully syariah compliant business entity.
Some of these include changing of staff uniform for Muslim ladies by subscribing to the appropriate dress code.
The hotel's meeting packages are also syariah-compliant. Meetings start with zam zam water, dates and raisins as snacks.
Meals are prepared in moderation, according to syariah rules.

A hotel staff helps to fold prayer mats after Friday prayers today.

The man who could have been a 'kick-boxer' ...

2010-05-27T18:54:00.016+08:00

“Thank you UiTM…Because of you, I am here” -- Prof. Ir. Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar, UiTM Vice- Chancellor

He once dreamt of becoming a ‘kick-boxer’ but Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar ended up being the vice-chancellor of the country’s largest university.
His story has become an inspiration to many youngsters to succeed in life.
Although determined to support his family, his poor SPM result was like a black spot in his early life. It shattered the hopes and aspiration of his mother and family.
Being poor gave him little choice. As the eldest of nine siblings, he decided to forget about school and instead, look for job.
It was nothing new for him though as poverty had forced him to work at the tender age of eight as a part-time sweeper at a barber’s shop.
Unlike other youths, he took the bold step to leave behind his ‘kampung’ and headed to town in search of work.
But it was to be a rough journey and work did not come easy.
The young Sahol became a vagabond.
With his tough physique, he began to train as a fighter and harbour the dream of becoming a ‘kick-boxer’.
It was then that his life began to change when he was approached by a MARA officer who advised him to continue with his studies and forget about his ring dream.
It was to be a different fight for the young man but the sincere advice of the MARA officer left a deep impact on him.
He was certain that education could change the destiny of a wayward youth.
Having made good in life, he will always be thankful of getting the second chance – a new lease of life that has made him what he is now.

Today, as he spoke at the university’s 72nd convocation, Prof Dr Sahol started off with this poignant line:
“UiTM sentiasa di hati.” (UiTM forever in my heart).
He said it not once but twice as the jubilant new graduates cheered loudly.
“To parents who are here, I must apologize for this deafening noise made by them…but as vice-chancellor, I forgive them,” he quipped and again the graduates roared.
He was quick to remind them not to be carried away by their achievement.
“Your journey does not end here, it is only the beginning,” said Dr Sahol.
He pledged that the university would continue to produce professionals of high-calibre to take the country to greater heights.
Some 400,000 have graduated from the university.

He reminded the graduates not to forget the sacrifices of their parents and be prepared to give back to society.
“Tak ada makna jika kita tak tahu bersyukur… ibarat kacang lupakan kulit. Jangan sekali-kali menjadi anak derhaka,” he said.

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals" -- Zig Ziglar

A non-NATO man ...running for his life!

2010-05-26T18:30:00.009+08:00

The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility and pushing their luck! ~Author Unknown

Every morning, Rani will be in his running shoes to sweat himself out at a park in Taman Setiawangsa in the federal capital.
He would jog at least 10 rounds of a 400-metre lap and still find strength for more physical exercise.
The 58 year-old, who now concentrates on multi-level marketing of health and wellness product, does not look his age.
I headed for the park early this morning, after a two-month break, and as expected, saw him there.
He had completed four rounds by then and was raring to go for more.
“My biological age varies from 41 to 65,” he says with a smile.
To him, it is not difficult to keep fit if you are disciplined.
“The important thing is exercise, that is the foundation.”
“You can do whatever you want with your body but without exercise, you won’t be healthy,” he said.
“I make sure that apart from exercise, I have a good sleep, a balanced diet and able to manage stress.
“I just can’t be bluffing myself by not following this four requirements
“After all this is what I’ve been telling my friends.
“I don’t want to be a NATO man – No Action Talk Only, ” he said as he accompanied me for the brisk walk.

*A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs. ~Joan Welsh

Enriching lives ....

2010-05-25T17:25:00.007+08:00

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down" -- Oprah Winfrey

In our busy lives, we often ignore things which we consider petty but are important to our loved ones.
Sometimes, their habits and their needs could even be annoying when we are drowned in work.
A phone call from a friend may be regarded as disturbance.
We even get upset that they have to call at that very moment.
We forget how important other people are to us and we to them.
“It is a blessing when someone calls us…the more calls, the more blessings we get,” says a friend.
To be really happy, we need others. Being alone has its advantages but not all the time.
Our lives would only be enriched if we can interact with others.
In this inter-connected world, ‘smart partnership’ is a key word.
It is about governments, organisations and people working together for long-term mutual gains so that collectively they help bring about global harmony and co-operative prosperity.
It entails the sharing of experiences and wisdom, adopting a “prosper-thy-neighbour” philosophy and guided by universal value, trust and understanding of one another.
It was in this spirit of 'smart partnership' that a group of officers from the International Division of the Information Communication and Culture Ministry visited the NAM News Network (NNN) this morning to explore areas of collaboration.

The division runs the South-South Information Gateway (SSIG) –- a depository and information exchange centre for countries in the South.
It provides broadcast materials, printed materials, news exchange and organizes seminars and roundtable conferences.
It was set-up following the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) held in July 1999 to promote “smart partnership” among the South countries.
The SSIG portal www.ssig.gov.my currently registers 615,000 hits a month.

Seeing light at the end of the tunnel …

2010-05-24T20:48:00.006+08:00

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak met his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong in the island republic today, summing up the outcome as positive for greater collaboration.

"If you are looking for a positive signal, this is it," he told a joint media conference with Lee following their retreat meeting.
He said the many decisions made during the retreat should signify a very positive signal for both sides to engage in more investment, education, trade and greater collaboration between the two countries.
They had met a year ago when they decided not to allow outstanding bilateral issues to be in the way of developing and strengthening bilateral ties.
With that positive mindset, they had achieved much within a year, starting with meetings at various levels of the government to find a common ground.
"And today is quite historic as we see now the light at the end of the tunnel with respect to the outstanding issues that have been lingering for almost 20 years," said Najib.
With what that had been achieved in today's meeting, Najib said he could more or less say that the Points of Agreement (PoA) on Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd land in Singapore should finally be put to rest when Lee meets him in Kuala Lumpur next month.

Malaysia today decided to move the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to the Woodlands train checkpoint by July 1 next year under the enhanced PoA.
When the PoA was signed by both countries in 1990, Malaysia had agreed to move the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station only to Bukit Timah after five years but it did not materialise.
Najib said the spirit and the political understanding to find a resolution on a mutually beneficial manner so that both countries could benefit from the finalisation of the enhanced PoA agreement had led to the positive result.
The prime minister said the settlement of the enhanced PoA would lead to a better connectivity and flow of people, followed by investment, and goods and services between the two neighbourly countries, linked by a causeway and a bridge.
"We believe that the connectivity between Singapore and Johor Bahru will be achieved by 2018," said Najib.
Meanwhile, Lee said both countries decided to move forward in their bilateral relationship as they needed to work together in the face of global challenges now with many competitive alternative centres growing in Asia.

He described his meeting with Najib as fruitful as both countries managed to clear issues that had been hanging for almost 20 years. They could now move forward and develop their relationship.
On the water issue, Lee said upon the expiry of the 1961 Water Agreement on July 1 next year, Singapore would hand over the Skudai waterworks to the Johor water authorities free of charge and in good working order.
Singapore has been using the waterworks to extract water from the Skudai river for its water supply.
The city-state has another waterworks in Johor where it is allowed to extract 250 million gallons of water per day (Mgd) from the Johor river based on the 1962 Water Agreement which will only expire in 2061.

(Story and photographs by Bernama)

Be thankful for what we have …

2010-05-23T20:56:00.013+08:00

"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses" -- French journalist Alphonse Karr (1808-90) known for his caustic commentaries on the events and personalities of the Parisian literary scene.

One thing I gained after watching the movie Shrek Forever After is to appreciate what I have. Never mind about being among the ‘lucky people’ in Malaysia who have seen the movie even before it hit cinemas in most developed countries including the United Kingdom.
The American animated film was released just two days ago in cinemas in the United States and Canada. It is the fourth and final installment in the Shrek movie series.
While some reviews hinted that the latest movie was not as witty as the earlier ones, it is still funnier and more exciting.
I love the scene where Shrek sang “You’ve Got A Friend” when Donkey could not recall who he was.
But one particular line by Shrek that I remember most was when he said: “I didn't know what I had until it's gone”.
Yes, many of us take for granted what we have. More often than not, we only realize its worth when that something is no longer around.
The film depicts Shrek as as an utterly domesticated and completely overwhelmed family man.
There is a crushing, bewildering repetition to his daily life, so much so that he can't even take a mud bath in peace.
As devoted and loving as he is to his wife – Fiona and their three little kids, Shrek misses being the fearsome ogre he once was.
He is looked at by acquaintances and strangers alike as some sort of a sideshow attraction.
Shrek is finally driven to his breaking point during his kids' first birthday party when a pushy dad and his kid badger him to "do the roar."
His explosive outburst causes a scene that mortifies Fiona.
He snaps at her that he wishes things could go back to the way they used to be, when he was the boss of his own life and was left in peace.
And there, ready to make his wish come true is trickster Rumpelstiltskin who sets out to ensnare Shrek in a trap…

With Shrek, Fiona and Donkey at Arbat Street in Moscow in 2007.

'Selamat Datang' to a top travel destination...

2010-05-22T22:00:00.005+08:00

It was a difficult year for global tourism but Malaysia remained a prefered travel destination in 2009.The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) had in fact ranked Malaysia as the ninth most travelled to destination in the world last year.
Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen says the tourism industry contributed RM1 billion per week to the economy in 2009, providing employment to over one million Malaysians.
"It is the government's commitment to ensure that the Malaysian tourism industry continues to flourish and to provide the best tourism experience to tourists from all over the world," she said at the Colours of 1Malaysia 2010 programme at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur tonight.
The annual event, organised by the Tourism Ministry, was opened by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
The vibrant "Colours of 1Malaysia" truly lived up to its tagline - Greatest Tourism Malaysia Parade.

It was interspersed with street performances to show off Malaysia's unique tourism products.
Among those featured were homestay, food and fruit fair, mega sales, shopping, beautiful beaches and resorts and eco-tourism.
Fireworks lit up the sky and the show began with a thunderous performance of a variety of drums which were reflected in “Gendang 1Malaysia”.
The jidor, Chinese, Indian, Sarawak and Sabah drums along with the kompang and rebana were used in the performance.
Other performances included a dikir barat, involving 5,500 participants, a performance which has been entered into the Malaysia Book Of Record as a show with the largest number of participants.
Dr Ng said the Colours of 1Malaysia was one of the country's signature events since 1999 and had contributed significantly in raising awareness worldwide about the nation's tourism products.
“It is a night of celebration, a night of sharing Malaysia's diverse culture and tourism products with all Malaysians and the world,” she said.
The parade of 6,000 participants from around the nation was telecast live in over 20 countries.
The night ended with the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia dance by more than 5,000 performers aimed at promoting peace and harmony.

No longer safe...

2010-05-21T16:17:00.001+08:00

Public sector jobs are no longer considered “safe” as the Government and society now expect more from them, says the country’s top civil servant.

Chief Secretary to the Government Sidek Hassan says public officials are now forced to re-look at how they do business, including doing away with redundancies.
Merit has become very important in a globalised and competitive world.
“When I first joined 36 years ago, public service was not the best-paying job, but it was almost a ‘guaranteed’ job as long as you didn’t commit a big boo-boo until retirement,” he told reporters after delivering a talk at a leadership workshop organised by the Muslim Council of Britain in Kuala Lumpur today.
He says there is now higher expectation of the public sector and civil servants have no choice but to improve or be replaced.
“If you don’t perform, we will have to find better ways to make you perform. If we don’t do things as expected, other people will do those things.
“Where public sector jobs was once seen as ‘safe’, it is not the case anymore in Malaysia.
He also reminded high ranking officers in the civil service to make their contact details public so they are accessible by e-mail and phone.
“Complainants must receive a response within 48 hours. We engage all media – print and online alike.
“We need to clarify queries raised both through the media and complaints bureaus. In short, nothing is sacrosanct to probe and questioning.
Sidek says the public sector need to drive the private sector by setting higher standards of service delivery.
He warned against complacency although Malaysia now ranked 23 out of 185 countries in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, 24th in the World Economic Forum’s competitiveness ranking and 10th in the Swiss-based IMD competitive ranking.
“Although we are ahead of countries like China, Italy, New Zealand in our competitiveness, it is still not good enough,” says Sidek.

Time to reflect .....

2010-05-20T20:00:00.016+08:00

Clad in yellow t-shirts, 96 Bernama staff trod the various floors in Wisma Bernama looking for answers in a treasure hunt to celebrate Bernama's 42nd anniversary today.

Divided into 24 teams -- up from 18 last year, the participants had to tackle 35 mind-boggling questions.
The answers were ‘hidden’ in signages, frames and photos on the walls and along the corridors.
Even the automated teller machine (ATM) and a fund-raising box in the lobby made into the list of questions.
Making the occasion a joyous one, teams that produced ‘funny’ answers were also ‘rewarded’ with hampers.
While the search for answers occupied the minds of the participants during the hour-and-a-half long hunt, Bernama chairman Abdul Rahman Sulaiman said the anniversary was a timely occasion for Bernama to do some soul-searching.

Are we satisfied with what we are doing?
Can we fit into the present environment where the new media is a challenge for the traditional media in the dissemination of news?
How can we attract the IT-savvy young Malaysians who are turning to the internet for their news supply either from blogs or social networking platforms.
“To stay relevant, we must be prepared to change,” said Rahman in his ‘maiden speech’ to the staff since becoming chairman before presenting prizes to the winning teams.
But in doing so, he said Bernama must not forget the objective of its formation in 1967 – ten years after the country’s Independence.
Bernama’s services to subscribers especially in Sabah and Sarawak was vital to meet the spirit of national integration.
Spearheaded by the Father of Independence – Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the idea of setting-up Malaysia’s own news agency was crucial so as to relay government policies to the whole nation. It was to be what Antara was to Indonesia.
Having our own news agency was further justified to reduce dependency on the ‘Big Four” – United Press International, Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France Presse – which then controlled over 80 per cent of global news flow.
The debate for a New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) was gaining momentum then over media representations of the developing world, who sought for more equitable and balanced news coverage.
Bernama was set-up on August 30, 1967 by an Act of Parliament and began operations on May 20,1968 from a now-demolished government bungalow, not far from Wisma Bernama.
From a pioneer team of seven at the start of its operation, Bernama now has some 600 staff.
In its first phase of operations, coverage was confined to Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas. Within a year of its operation, the agency established bureaus in Pulau Pinang, Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
The third phase launched in 1970/1971, provided coverage for the whole nation with a network of state correspondents and stringers.
This was followed by the setting-up of overseas buraeus in Jakarta and Bangkok and the introduction of specialised services -- Economic Service and the Features and Foreign News Service.

Charting the progress of Bernama from a news agency to a multimedia organisation, Rahman said Bernama should strive to seek a balance between commercial need and maintaining professionalism.
“We have to make money and at the same time serve our subscribers.
“This would require creative and innovative ideas,” says Rahman, whose appointment as Bernama chairman on Feb 1, could be described as the Malay saying of “sirih pulang ke gagang” (back to the grove).
After working as a radio reporter with RTM, he joined Bernama in 1971 and rose to become Editor-in-Chief before opting for retirement in 1995 to contest in the general election as the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Parit Buntar Parliamentary constituency.
Although he was not among the seven pioneer staff, Rahman has an emotional attachment with Bernama as he was involved in the structuring of the editorial operations.
His illustrious career in the agency spanned from being the bureau chief in Johor (1971–1972), correspondent in Thailand and Indochina (1976-1978), chief sub-editor (1978 - 1979), chief news editor (1979 – 1980), Editor Domestic News Service (1983-1984) and eventually to Editor-in-Chief (1989-1995).
On Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s call today for the media to be the Government’s partner in efforts to bring greater transformation to the country, Rahman said being a government agency, it was only logical for Bernama to carry out that responsibility.
This would mean explaining to the people the 1Malaysia concept, New Economic Model and Government Transformation Programme, among other things.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad’s new headquarters at Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Najib said the media must give priority to news that was more knowledge-oriented so that the society could think in a more intellectual and objective manner.
“I know that journalism in the West would stress that conflict sells stories but don’t be obsessed with sensational stories because we want the nation to achieve physical success and intellectualism,” he said.

Congrats for excellent service …

2010-05-20T17:20:00.000+08:00

In conjunction with Bernama’s 42nd anniversary, the agency presented Excellent Service Award to SSM and commercial staff.
It is an appreciation to them who have exceeded expectations in their duties and gone beyond the normal responsibilities of the job.
Evaluations are conducted annually.
Each recipient of the Excellent Service Award receives a certificate and a cash prize of RM1,000. The roll of honour for 2009:

Xiong Ping says goodbye ...

2010-05-18T17:47:00.012+08:00

After slightly more than four years in Malaysia, Xinhua's chief correspondent Xiong Ping is leaving for home. As he bids farewell to contacts and friends, the senior journalist will take home with him lots of memories about Malaysia.
He is leaving at a time when China had just celebrated its Thomas Cup victory -- the most prestigious prize in badminton. They beat Indonesia in the final after stopping home team Malaysia in the semi-final.
Asked what he would miss most, he says simply: "The blue skies, white clouds and all-year round summer".
His successor Yan Liang had spent the last one-and-a-half years in Kabul as Xinhua's correspondent.
"The experience is unforgettable," says Yan.
Apart from our cooperation under the Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA), Bernama and Xinhua have had a close relation. While Xinhua has its bureau in Kuala Lumpur, Bernama has a correspondent in Beijing.

Xiong Ping (left) bids farewell as he introduces his successor Yan Liang when they dropped by at Bernama today.

Broadening regional contacts...

2010-05-17T18:41:00.001+08:00

A group of eight information officers – four each from Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, got to know more about Bernama during their visit today as we broadened our regional networking.

The visit was part of their four-day familiarisation programme organized by Malaysia’s Information Department.
Just a month ago, a group of senior officers from Brunei’s Information Department visited Bernama and requested to send their editorial staff and photographers for short photo-journalism courses.
An interesting question was raised during the briefing by one of the visitors who wanted to know why Bernama send a reporter to an event when other media representatives were present.
Being the national news agency, our subscribers are varied and widespread.
An important role of Bernama that is often overlook is being the ‘bridge’ in supplying news to our subscribers in Sabah and Sarawak and vice-versa -- in the true spirit of ‘1 Malaysia’.

Of the KLIA mosque …

2010-05-15T23:52:00.006+08:00

For many first-time visitors to Malaysia, the Sultan Abdul Samad Mosque is a lasting impression.

In fact, it is the first impression of Malaysia from the air other than the KL International Airport (KLIA) for a large number of them.
With its distinctive location on the eastern part of the KLIA, the mosque is a symbolic landmark that greets visitors to the country.
Come August 25, the blue-and-green dome mosque will mark the 10th anniversary of its opening.
Construction began in August 1997 and completed two years later.

Apart from local residents and airport employees, the mosque serves travellers plying the highway to and from the airport. It can accommodate up to 8,000 people.
The design of the mosque was envisaged to complement the overall nature theme of KLIA being "The building in the forest and the forest in the building".

Eco-friendly JICA seeks feedback from Malaysians...

2010-05-13T13:30:00.004+08:00

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) started engaging with Malaysia in 1966 when it first provided technical cooperation. Since then, some 10,000 Malaysians have gone to Japan for training under JICA’s programme. The agency has also sent 3,000 experts to Malaysia who stayed in the country for more than a year.
The JICA Malaysia office was opened in 1975 and undertook the first training programme for the Look East Policy in 1982.
But despite its long involvement in the country, JICA’s Chief Representative in Malaysia Tsutomu Nagae says Malaysians still do not know the agency well.

"We’d like to know what Malaysians feel about our activities," he said during his visit to Wisma Bernama.
Nagae, who was a JICA volunteer himself in Kota Kinabalu 30 years ago, says the agency has provided 920 billion Yen (or RM30 billion) to implement 74 projects in Malaysia.
Being eco-friendly, JICA is prepared to join hands with local companies and government agencies to promote green technology in the country.
Nagae says JICA could provide appropriate financial and technical assistance in green technology which has the potential to become an important sector in Malaysia's economic development.
As part of its social reasponsibility, the agency is promoting social participation for persons with disabilities. It had organized a drawing exhibition by people with disabilities with the support from a leading shopping center-chain.
JICA collected more than 500 drawings from several handicapped homes and displayed the drawings to let the shopping centre customers pick their favourite.
Ten winning drawings were then selected and printed on reusable shopping bags which are now on sale at the shopping centre chain.
The funds generated from the sale will be contributed to the selected homes and centres for persons with physical disabilities that participated in the drawing exhibition.
JICA says the collaboration is a marriage between doing good for the handicapped people and doing good for the environmental protection.

The bag is made from a durable, light-weight and water-resistant material. It is suitable to replace the disposable platics bags. Using one of the bag, replaces the usage of 200 to 500 disposable plastic bags.

Bernama wins library excellence award ...

2010-05-10T12:58:00.002+08:00

Bernama Informaton Centre and Library (InfoLib) made the agency proud when it emerges among three winners of the country’s Library Excellence Award 2009 presented today.
Bernama InfoLib came out top for the small library category, the Tun Abdul Razak Library of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam in the large library category, and the Malay Documentation Centre of Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka (DBP) in the category for medium-sized libraries.

The winners received their awards from the National Library of Malaysia (PNM) director-general Raslin Abu Bakar in conjunction with the annual general meeting of the Librarians Association of Malaysia.
Bernama was represented by general manager Hasnul Hassan.
Bernama InfoLib information manager Hasnita Ibrahim says the award will inspire the staff to be more creative in presenting and disseminating information.
This is in line with the effort of making Bernama InfoLib as a one-stopcentre for information.
She says participating in the competition for the first time was not too difficult as Bernama InfoLib already possessed the collection of information to meet the criteria.
Started in 2005, the award winners are picked based on their creative and innovative ways of presenting information to attract users.
Their good collection of information material and facilities are also considered.

Then and now ....

2010-05-10T09:50:00.006+08:00

In 1974, we were like this ...

Yesterday, when a few of us turned up to honour 'Ibu', we were like this ...

A picture or two do tell a thousand words.....

Bad's masterpiece ...

2010-05-09T20:46:00.006+08:00

Badrul Hisham A.Aziz stayed up late to complete this 'sajak' for Ibu. The former Hulu Langat Member of Parliament could not hold back emotion when he chokingly delivered his masterpiece.
It was a beautiful composition, so well-written that I just have to reproduced it here.

IBU - Inilah Bingkisan Untukmu
　
I B U
Inilah Bingkisan Untukmu
IBU
Inilah Buah Usahamu
IBU
Ikhlasmu Bukan Untukmu
Ikhlasmu Bukan Ungkitan
Ikhlasmu Bekalan Untukku
Ikhlasmu Barakah Usiaku
IBU
Ibu Berkhidmat Untukku
Ibu Berjasa Usaha
Ibu Bersimpul Urat
Ibu Berkorban Usia
　
IBU
Ini Bukan Ungkitan
Ini Bukan Upahan
Ini Bukan Usikan
　
IBU
Inilah Banggaan Untukmu
Ingat Balasan Untukmu
Indahnya Belaian Unggul
Insaf Bersama Usia
　
IBU
Inilah Bangsa Usahamu
Ikrar Bantu Umat
Ikut Belaian Unjurmu
Ikut Bicara Urusan

IBU
　
I B U H A L I M A H
Hendak Aku Limpah Ingatan Menghimbau Awal Hidupku
Henti Air Linangan Imbas Mengenang Asrama Hingar
Harapan Agar Luput Igauan Mengusik Amannya Hidup
Halimah Ada Lipur Interaksi Menyelesai Apa-apa Halangan

IBU
Kaulah ibu dari usiaku 12 tahun
Ibu kandung pergi tanpa kembali sembilan tahun kemudian
Ibulah pengganti umi - hingga kini
Semasa sakit, Ibulah mengheret daku ke HBKL
Tatkala istirehat di Ampang Puteri, Ibulah yang muncul diri
Ibu inilah lah yang menyuap nasi….
Ibu inilah memicit kaki…sedangkan dia sendiri sukar berdiri
Tatkala di puncak jaya usahaku direstui
Doanya sering mengiringi
Mengingatkan daku jangan lupa diri
Bantu rakan-rakan yang kurang menjadi
　
Akhir bicara daripada anakmu ini
Kasih sayangmu kami hargai
Pesanan dan didikan jadi akujanji
Mustahil kan kami lupai
Biar putus bak tali
IBU TERSAYANG TETAP DI HATI KAMI…………….
PANJANG USIA JUMPA LAGI
　
　
Curahan hati LT. KOL (PA) BADRUL HISHAM ABD AZIZ, DPMS, ASa, PhD
Khas untuk Ibu Halimah Karnawi sempena Hari Ibu 9 Mei 2010

A tribute to 'Ibu'

2010-05-09T18:24:00.009+08:00

She is and will always be our ‘Ibu’ (Mother). We will never forget how she stood up for us when we got into trouble. When one of us fell sick, she took him to hospital. She even kept him company, without fail, during visiting hours throughout his hospital stay.

She went out of her way to meet our request for the food we wanted. It was not cheap to have the food laid on the table. Once, she had the cook fry eggs from 9am to 3 in the afternoon just to serve us boys.
‘Sardin sambal tumis’ and ‘labu masak lemak’ were the favourite for most of us then as she recalled today when we gathered to honour her for ‘Mother’s Day’.
She had not seen many of us for years but she still remembered their names. She even remembers what or how they were like those days.
She was close to us for she had brought us up in her own special ways. She was our mother -- not to one or two but hundreds of us!
She is Halimah Karnawi – our ‘Ibu’ -- officially the hostel matron. Although the hostel – Asrama Dr Latif(ADL) is history – demolished and gone – to make way for a flood mitigation and a highway project, the memories remain in our hearts.
The ‘hi-tea’ event today is special in many ways. Though wheel-chair bound, ‘Ibu’ took the trouble to be with us.
“I just have to come to see you all,” she says with a tinge of happiness – tears welling in her eyes.
‘Ibu’ is 80 but as Nazam – the emcee for the day remarked -- her ‘memory card’ is tremendous!
The evening was also special because we had our ‘ustaz’ (religious teacher) – someone many of us have not seen for over three decades since we left school.
Ustaz Shaifuddin Yasin has this ability to recognize many of us just by the way we walked and some by their smell!

“It’s true, I can know them just by their smell,” he said and recalled the various nicknames that we had.
“Even now, I smile on my own when I recall the students of ADL and my wife would wonder why,” says Ustaz, now 66. He even sang an old favourite – “Kenanganku” , giving us a hint of his singing prowess.
The event was also special because it was the first time that we were able to get together after our buddy Aziz Shahrin took the effort to organize a grouping of former ADL hostelites. His ‘never say no’ attitude is showing progress.
For a start, our proposed name – Asrama Dr Latiff Alumni Network (ADLAN) – has been accepted by the Regisrar of Societies.
The hostel took in the first batch of students in 1971 – thanks to the vision of former Selangor Menteri Besar, the late Datuk Harun Idris.
Through his efforts, students from the various districts in Selangor who did well in their Stardard Five assessment examination held nation-wide were offered places to pursue their secondary education in Kuala Lumpur either at the Victoria Institution, St John’s Institution or Methodist Boys School.

As Protem committee chairman Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Jamil Maah paid tribute to Datuk Harun, he said it is now “pay back” time for us to serve the society.
“Although the hostel is gone, the spirit remains and let’s keep it alive,” says the University Malaya Deputy Vice-Chancellor, who was among the first batch of form four students in 1971.
Others who turned up today include Director-General of Valuation and Property Services Datuk Abdullah Thalith Md. Thani, Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Yusli Yusoff, Chemical Company of Malaysia Group Managing Director Datuk Dr Mohd Hashim Tajudin and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) Head of Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Prof Dr Abdullah Sani Mohamed. Former Hulu Langat Member of Parliament Datuk Badrul Hisham Abdul Aziz recited a self-penned, choking ‘sajak’ entitled ‘Ibu’.

EU engages the Malaysian media …

2010-05-06T17:47:00.005+08:00

To mark Europe Day, the “national” day of the European Union, the EU delegation office in Kuala Lumpur organized a luncheon between the 17 EU ambassadors in Malaysia and senior representatives of the Malaysian media.

Head of EU delegation Vincent Piket says the union wants to step up relations with Malaysia as part of their expanding relations with Southeast Asia.
"And because we recognize that, to realize that goal, it is vital to have close and open working relations with the media," he said.
With 27 member states presently and close to 500 million citizens, the EU says it deserves attention.
"Over the past 53 years, the EU has become the most advanced project for regional integration the world has seen so far. It is one of Malaysia’s most important trade partners.
And over the past decade, Malaysia and the EU have engaged politically at bilateral level, to promote stability and integration in Southeast Asia, and to address global issues," says Piket.

Dutch ambassador Paul Bekkers addressed the luncheon on Economy, Danish ambassador Svend Waever on Environment and Austrian ambassador Andrea Wicke on Values.
Spanish ambassador Jose Ramon Baranano gave the closing remarks as the EU Presidency-in-Office.

Footnote: During their summit in Milan in 1985, EU leaders decided to celebrate 9 May as Europe Day. Today, Europe Day is an annual celebration of the diversity of cultures within Europe and provides an opportunity to learn more about the European Union

Malaysian media directory...

2010-05-05T18:15:00.001+08:00

A directory of the Malaysian media has been published -- thanks to the Information Department.
The 755-page directory not only list out "Who's Who" in the various print and electronic media organisations but also press secretaries of all ministers and public relations officers of government ministries and agencies.

The directory also contained contact information foreign media correspondents based in Kuala Lumpur. Even magazines, journals and prominent local news portal were not left out.
It is the first-time that such a thick directory has been published.
The department says: "The 2010 PUBLIC MEDIA DIRECTORY is published to assist users in locating media practitioners in various government departments, media agencies and other relevant organizations".
For more information:
Media and Corporate Communication Division
Department of Information Malaysia
12th Floor, East
Wisma Sime Darby,
Jalan Raja Laut
50350 Kuala Lumpur
Telephone: 03-21734400/4600
Fax: 03-21734554

The Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) too has painstakingly took the effort to published a directory of "Who's Who" in the Malaysian media. The directory is also available on its website http//mpi.com.my .
MPI chief executive Chamil Wariya hopes the 2011 edition would be more comprehensive.

Strong endorsement for proposed Bernama-Antara summit...

2010-05-04T14:58:00.002+08:00

The proposed summit between the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and Indonesian News Agency (Antara) will be held before the end of the year.

Malaysia’s Information, Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim and Indonesia’s Communication and Informatics Minister Tifatul Sembiring gave the nod when the proposal was presented to them among a host of new initiatives to enhance bilateral cooperation.
"They will discuss the suitable programmes that both news agencies can work together on,” he told a media conference at the end of the 10th Malaysia-Indonesia Joint Committee Meeting on Information and Communication at the Craft Complex in Kuala Lumpur.
The two agencies also agreed to produced talk shows that would feature influential personalities and highlight current issues faced by both countries.
"For instance, we may invite my Indonesian counterpart to speak to Malaysians through our media channels. This will prevent sensitive issues from getting out of control," says Dr Rais.
Bernama and Antara will also exchange video clips and documentary films they produced.
They will also cooperate in launching Antara TV that could modelled Bernama TV round-the-clock all news channel. Antara TV currently operates as content provider for other TV stations in Indonesia.
Both parties concur that TV Antara could help realize the TV Nusantara vision that would further strengthen the Malay language as the lingua franca of the region.

A new milestone...

2010-05-03T16:18:00.008+08:00

Malaysian and Indonesian senior officials got down to discuss efforts to strengthen cooperation in the information and communication sectors.
The Malaysian side was led by Information, Communication and Culture Ministry Secretary General Kamaruddin Siaraf while Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Informatics Secretary General Dr Basuki Yusuf Iskandar led his delegation.

Both had gone to the same university -- Vanderbilt University in the United States although Kamaruddin was there much earlier.
That alone set a conducive start to the talks aimed at reviewing the Memorandum of Understanding on Information signed by both countries in 1984. The review was necessary with the expansion of the Malaysian ministry to include the communications and culture sectors.
While Kamaruddin said the talks would enable them to take into account the new perspective, Basuki regarded the meeting as a new milestone in enhancing the cooperation.
Activities that have been implemented include exchange of radio and television news, production of radio and television programmes, production of drama and films, and exchange programmes for information officers, media practitioners and technical personnel.
Decisions made by the senior officials will be forwarded to the ministerial-level meeting tomorrow. Malaysian Information, Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim is scheduled to the Indonesian Communication and Informatics Minister Tifatul Sembiring tomorrow.

Bernama-Antara agree to hold summit….

2010-05-02T23:54:00.004+08:00

A top-level meeting between Bernama and Antara has been agreed upon to bolster their existing solid relationship.

The proposal was endorsed by both agencies in Kuala Lumpur today at a pre-council meeting ahead of the Malaysia-Indonesia Joint Committee on Information and Culture Meeting (JCICM).
The Bernama-Antara Summit will enable both sides to deliberate on issues of common interest and formulate initiatives that could boost Malaysia-Indonesia ties.
The idea had cropped up on the sideline of the recent Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) summit meeting in Seoul.
To put the inaugural summit in place, Antara, represented by its international and economic division head Bambang Purwanto, proposed that a preparatory meeting of “three or four editorial staff” from each side be held. Bernama General Manager Hasnul Hassan agreed on the ‘prep meeting” – the date and venue to be suggested by Antara.

Another new initiative agreed at the meeting was the exchanging of video clips -- in line with the decision taken at the OANA summit. Antara currently provides news content for various television stations in the republic.
With its experience in running an all-news, round-the-clock Bernama TV, the Malaysian national news agency was prepared to cooperate with Antara should it decides to set-up its own TV station.
Apart from exchanging video clips, both sides agreed to collaborate in the joint-production of TV talk show and even documentaries.
On existing cooperation, they agreed to expand the journalist attachment programme to include photographers. Both sides also agreed to step-up the marketing of their news – a potentially lucrative area.

Kamsahamnida...

2010-04-27T11:09:00.002+08:00

Kamsahamnida -- that's 'Thank You' in Korean.
As we headed for home, my thoughts were drawn to the memorable stay in Seoul. It was like going back into time when I put up at the same Lotte Hotel which I had stayed for an assignment five years ago.

I had then covered former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's trip to Seoul where he pledged Malaysia's continued commitment for the 'Look East' policy.
But the trip this time was different. It was for the Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) summit meeting organised by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency to commemorate its 30th anniversary.
In a way, it was historic as the 41-strong OANA decided to venture into multimedia -- getting its members to exchange video clips.
This is something new from the existing arrangement of text-based news and photo exchange that has been going on for years.
Just as cherry blossom starts to bloom all over Seoul, the colourful sight of early spring mirrored the pledge of the OANA members to expand cooperation into the multimedia platform.

In fact, the meeting took place at this time to coincide with spring which offered a breathtaking view of the city with colourful flowers along the streets.

Banking on each other ....

2010-04-23T15:08:00.002+08:00

Asian news agencies' once heavy reliance on major Western news wires to carry news about Asia appears to have changed, This was the finding revealed by a research on the new trend in Asian news flows.
Prof Choi Young Jae of South Korea's Hallym University, who conducted the research on nine Asian news agencies over a 10-day period last July, said most of the news about Asia, relayed by news agencies, now came from fellow Asian counterparts.
"Even North American and European news stories are mostly coming from Asian news agencies. In other words, Asian news agencies produce Asian, American and European news stories on their own," he told the Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) Summit Congress in Seoul.

The research project was to determine the degree and how the news agencies which included Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency, report about Asia.
The other agencies were South Korea's Yonhap, host of the four-day summit here, Xinhua (China), Kyodo (Japan), Philippines News Agency (PNA), Press Trust of India (PTI), Thai News Agency (TNA), Antara of Indonesia and Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
Choi said another important finding of the study was that Asian news agencies tended to portray Asia not so negatively but fairly, in keeping with their neutral stands.
"Asian news agencies (now) have their own voices in covering Asia and the world, competing with their Western counterparts," said Choi, who is also a board member of South Korea's News Agency Promotion Foundation.
Having achieved success in the text news services, he said the summit could be a springboard for the 40-member OANA to cooperate in multi-media contents.
He noted that the agencies were moving into multi-media platform by having television news, internet services and smart phones television applications.

Bracing for the "pendulum power swing" .....

2010-04-22T12:53:00.003+08:00

After months of tedious preparations, the first-ever Organization of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA)Summit Congress raised its curtain at Seoul's majestic Lotte Hotel.
Host Yonhap News Agency had done a truly excellent job to stage the summit in conjunction with its 30th anniversary.
Many delegates were caught surprise when South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan turned up to open the four-day meeting.
His message was clear -- Asia-Pacific news agencies need to raise their cooperation to new heights as the "pendulum of global power is swinging towards the region".

He said the region was not only the world's largest and most populous but the most rapidly changing as well.
"Asia-Pacific was among the earliest to recover from the recent financial crisis, fuelling recovery in the rest of the world," said Chung, who noted that South Korea now stood as an important player in global affairs.
The meeting sought to broaden multilateral cooperation among Oana members in the face of a rapidly changing global media environment.
Chung said Oana, formed in 1961 on the initiative of Unesco, could help narrow the information gap separating developed and developing nations.

"Oana members have indeed played a crucial role in the region's rapid and dynamic advancement. You deliver the latest news swiftly and accurately, painting a vivid picture of Asia-Pacific far beyond the region," he said.
Saying he was aware of the world's high expectations for South Korea to "make the world a better place for everyone", he urged Oana members to write and report about the country.
"World leaders from developed and developing nations will meet in (South) Korea this month for the 2010 G-20 Summit. (South) Korea will also be the host of the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit," he said.
Oana President Dr Ahmad Mukhlis Yusof said the theme for the summit, "Challenges and Opportunities for News Agencies", was relevant and urged members to tap the information technology.
"The imbalance and difference of information flow between the developing and developed countries have not been narrow by disputes for decades. Until now, there is a gap within the world information flow," said Mukhlis, who is chief executive of Antara News Agency of Indonesia.
Communications scholar Dr Oliver Boyd-Barrett, who delivered a keynote address, said he believed Oana has a role in helping to shape future change to the information flow.

"Two countries of the region (India and China) alone account for a third of the global population and economically the region is developing into the world's powerhouse for the 21st century.
"How can this not impact the global infrastructure of news flow?" said Dr Boyd-Barrett of Bowling Green University in Ohio.

Rosy future for news agencies...

2010-04-18T23:05:00.004+08:00

Asia-Pacific news agencies are set to hold an unprecedented meeting in Seoul this week as a United States-based journalism scholar predicted that news agencies hold vast potential for future growth.
This was despite all the misgivings voiced about news agencies in the early days of the Internet, said Prof Oliver Boyd-Barrett of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, who has been invited to speak at the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) Summit Congress.
His study on the news agencies' prospect is published in his latest book "News Agencies in the Turbulent Era of the Internet", to be launched in Barcelona, Spain on May 10.
"I believe the book delivers a resounding message: despite all the difficulties, all the challenges and complexities of their business, news agencies as institutions of political, economic, cultural and social importance, survive and often thrive," he replied to my email questions ahead of the four-day OANA summit beginning Wednesday.

His observation will provide valuable insight for the meeting that will discuss "Challenges and Opportunities for News Agencies in the New Media Era" as its theme.
The meeting is expected to be the largest event in the history of OANA, which was formed in 1961 on the initiative of UNESCO to promote regional news exchanges, and now comprises 41 members from 33 countries.
Heads of news agency associations from Europe, Africa and the Middle East will also attend the Seoul summit as observers. It is co-hosted by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations.
Boyd-Barrett said the single most important outcome of the OANA Summit would be the opportunity for member agencies to share experiences and potential solutions to the challenges that they collectively faced.
"Among the most important of the challenges they each face, inevitably, is the challenge of how best can agencies position themselves in the rapidly evolving age of both wired and wireless Internet."
Having conducted extensive research on global news agencies, Boyd-Barrett said OANA could do more than providing news exchange among its members.
"I would hope that there are greater possibilities for monetising this exchange with a view to developing regional news services of interest to media and non-media clients throughout the world, including the media markets of the most prosperous countries.
"This may entail a notable upscaling of investment including dedicated personnel, further development of regional enterprise and investigative reporting, and identification of new delivery systems.
"Additionally, OANA's role in the provision of professional training and development can only become more important in the years ahead," he said.
On OANA turning 50 next year, he said the "sheer durability" of OANA and of its member agencies was testimony to the continuing and essential importance despite all the difficulties that they faced, of the services that news agencies provided in the cause of public communication.
"For the future, I believe OANA can help provide a vision for multi-media, multi-modal news delivery and for the development of entrepreneurial services that may help provide revenues for future investments and enhance professional independence," he said.

Bernama journalists bag awards...

2010-04-16T22:04:00.002+08:00

Bernama journalist Melati Mohd Ariff won the prestigious Kajai Award at the MPI-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards presentation here tonight for her three-part articles on rising temperatures in Cameron Highlands.
Another Bernama journalist, Rohana Mustaffa emerged the winner in the Best Features category for her article entitled 'Kampung Baru-Antara Dua Darjat'.
The case study of the rising temperatures in Cameron Highlands, which was entitled 'Mencari Dingin Udara di Cameron Highlands' raised Melati's profile to emerge the winner in the Kajai Award category.
A thorough investigation supported by environmental experts had the judges bowled over, making Melati richer by RM30,000 and a 100-gramme gold medal worth RM12,900, the prizes for the winner of the Kajai Award.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin presented the prizes to the winners of the various categories up for grabs.
The last time a Bernama journalist won the Kajai Award was in the 1980s when Abdul Latiff Abu Bakar's work on the Memali incident was adjudged the winner.
Melati said she did not expect to win the Kajai Award and was only hoping to be honoured in the environmental category, in which she was also nominated.
"This is my biggest achievement since I entered the journalism field in 1979. I am very grateful (to receive the Kajai Award)," she said.
On where she got the idea to do the case study, Melati said it came about because of her disappointment that the hill resort was not as cool as it used to be.
"I love to go to Cameron Highlands...I like to go there because of its cool crisp air but became very disappointed to see indiscriminate development taking place which altered the cool atmosphere.
"From there, I felt challenged to find out what were the real reasons for the change and kept in touch with several people up in Cameron Highlands for additional information," she said.
As a journalist, she was fortunate to be able raise issues of interest to the people and hoped that her work would open the eyes of the parties responsible to look after Cameron Highlands so that its pristine beauty is preserved.
The feature on problems associated with Kampung Baru by Rohana detailed the situation in Kampung Baru in the context of development surrounding it, the grievances of its residents and uncertain future the Malay village, which lies in the centre of the federal capital.
The win enable Rohana to take home RM15,000.
Thankful for the success, Rohana described the win as very meaningful because it was her first award after not having written features for some 15 years.
"Before taking up duties at Bernama's Features Desk, I had been with the Bahasa Malaysia sub-editors desk and this is the first time I am winning an award after almost 15 years," said Rohana, who is the editor of the Features Desk.
Asked how she got the idea to come up with the article, Rohana said the issue was something close to her heart.
"The issue of Kampung Baru is an issue of the Malays which is dear to me. Although it is an old issue, there has yet to be any resolution," she said.

(Bernama)

Close friends in development...

2010-04-16T21:16:00.002+08:00

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin hopes Malaysian media practitioners would use their profession for the good of the nation.
He said this was because the media had great influence on the thinking of the people especially with the current development and sophistication of the media infrastructure and technology.
"If your media can mould the opinion of 100 people, it is already a great achievement, what more if it can influence millions of people each hour and day.
"So, use your profession for the good of our nation and social harmony," he said at the Malaysian Press Night 2010, organised by the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) and Petronas in Kuala Lumpur tonight.
Muhyiddin said the Malaysian values and identity must be based on the ways the Malaysian media functioned.
Thus, the media should play a role in forming the public perception and how the world perceived Malaysia to be besides minimising hatred, disputes and prejudices.
"Maximise substantiated debates, dialogues and harmony. Minimise arrogant media, insensitivity, inaccuracy, excessive bias and unethical sensationalism.
Help the government to maximise what is good for our country," he said.
Muhyiddin also hoped that the media fraternity would continue to be trustworthy in conveying information to their respective audiences by reporting only actual news and putting aside personal views and not to add 'flavour' merely to make the news more 'juicy'.
He said this was important because he had himself become the 'victim' of circumstances when the report on his statement was misinterpreted to the extent that it had caused confusion.
Besides being the eyes and ears of society in the context of politics and government, he said journalists also had to act as the eyes and ears of the administrators and leaders.
Journalists should also assist the centre of power to understand the public perception on a particular issue, with the primary intention of improving the quality of life of the people, quality of administration and enhance democracy.
"My stand is that there is no democracy without the media. The fact that the media is enjoying such a healthy growth in Malaysia shows the strong democratic values in the country.
"I'm not asking you to praise or favour the government or to hide the truth. I'm just hoping that we -- the government and media -- can become close friends in development to ensure Malaysia's prosperity," he said.
Muhyiddin said that as far as the government was concerned, journalists and the media were their partners in national development.
"The government needs the media to enable its messages, political and socio-economic programmes to be accepted effectively by the public and successfully implemented for the sake of the country's development," he said.
However, the cordial relationship between the government and the media should not erode the credibility of either party.
(Bernama)

Imminent threat of nuclear catastrophe...

2010-04-11T17:44:00.006+08:00

As world leaders prepare to fly to Washington for the Nuclear Security Summit, I had the chance of meeting former Australian Foreign Minister Prof Gareth Evans, an expert on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. He co-chairs the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND), which has produced a 230-page report described as the most comprehensive ever produced on the issue.

As we sat for the interview on level 33 of Hilton KL overlooking the Lake Gardens and Parliament House, Evans spoke about the commission's work, his passionate commitment to a world completely-free of nuclear weapon and the imminent danger of nuclear catastrophe.
Drawing his attention to Malaysia, I asked him what role could Malaysia provide at the two-day summit, called by US President Barrack Obama, starting tomorrow.
"Malaysia has been traditionally a very important voice for disarmament, non-proliferation (of nuclear weapons)...very powerful, very articulate voice within the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
He said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's presence at the summit is important as a demonstration of Malaysia's commitment.
"It is crucial that Malaysia play a positive role as there are a number of issues on which some Non-Aligned Movement countries are going to be very difficult".
"People will be looking to Malaysia for guidance on these issues and it's important for Malaysia to play that constructive role.
"I know it's not a big issue in the Malaysian public consciousness at the moment, but the point is, Malaysia has a well-known voice and well-established track record," said Evans who will be part of the Australian delegation at the summit.
"What we have to ensure is, we get the best possible results on disarmament, best possible results on moving ahead on the Middle-East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone which is another big issue at the conference and the strengthening of the non-proliferation treaty regime."
The summit, to be attended by leaders from more than 40 countries, is part of Obama's ambitious goal of creating a new system to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear material, particularly highly-enriched uranium.
Evans was in Malaysia last week as part of his visit to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) party countries to promote the work of the ICNND and advocate a practical agenda for global policy makers in eliminating nuclear threats.
In its report, the commission had recommended that nuclear disarmament should be pursued as a step-by-step process with "minimisation" to be achieved, no later than 2025 and "elimination" as soon as possible, thereafter.

Asked why the public should be more concerned of the issue, Evans said "because there is a very real danger of the world blowing itself up".
"There are 23,000 nuclear warheads out there at the moment, of which 2,000 are on high alert even 20 years after the Cold War," he noted.
The number of nuclear warheads could translate into "150,000 Hiroshima-bomb size, capable of destroying the world, many times over", he cautioned.
"We know now, how often that even with the supposedly sophisticated command and control system, often we came close to catastrophic danger, either through human or machine error or just sheer stupidity, miscalculation.
"I've got plenty of such stories," said Evans, who was Australian foreign minister from 1988 to 1996.
He said the world was facing an even bigger danger than it was during the Cold War days because more nuclear states were coming into the game with less sophisticated control and command system.
It was also faced with "unknown realities" of terrorists willing to cause maximum destruction if they could get their hands on the weapons.
"What we are saying, in terms of global issue, this one is right up there alongside climate change because the world could be destroyed by something going wrong," he said.

'Pak Lah'...

2010-04-07T23:09:00.006+08:00

After much sweat and toil, Bernama’s coffee table book titled "Pak Lah" was launched today. Featuring 400 photographs of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, it commemorates his tenure as the fifth prime minister and sixth president of Umno.
Information Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim hailed the publication of the book, saying it was a labour of love for the agency.
"As a photography buff myself, I find that the photographs, all 400 of them, are momentous, compelling and crisp, and accompanied by a nice narrative and accurate description," he said at the launching at Auditorium Perdana, Angkasapuri.
Abdullah was present with his wife Jeanne Abdullah.
The book, priced at RM200 each, can be obtained from 7th Floor, Photo Marketing Division, Wisma Bernama in Jalan Tun Razak.
It covers topics such as constitutional monarchy, administration, perception about Abdullah family, political struggle, interactions with the media, international relations as well as social activities.
Speaking at a news conference after the launching, Abdullah said he was touched by the publication of the pictorial book.
"I felt moved when told that what Bernama and Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim had been working on has now become a reality.

"Although I've not seen all of the pictures, I believe that they have been carefully selected,"said Abdullah, who stepped down as prime minister in April last year.

New Media Freshens China-Asean Diplomacy

2010-03-30T18:11:00.007+08:00

A billboard-size screen of its website greets visitors to the People's Daily Online (PD Online) centre here as it flashes up-to-the minute reports of China and the world.

Launched on Jan 1, 1997 by People's Daily -- one of the world's top 10 newspapers -- the website has transformed into one of the largest comprehensive media on the Internet.
People's Daily Online -- http://www.people.com.cn -- releases news, covering various fields including politics, economy, society and culture, in real time and round-the-clock with the support of the newspaper's more than 70 branches home and abroad.
Apart from pictures and text numbering up to 10,000 news items per day, the website uses animation, audio and video clips, the BBS forum, blog, podcast and webcast that has boosted its daily page-view to chart as much as 200 million.

To appeal to the young audience who surf the internet by cellphones, it has also combined news releases with games and working with businesses to offer 'trendies' like E-book.
Besides the Chinese version (traditional and modern Chinese), the website offers six foreign languages -- English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic.
More could be added over time as PD Online president He Jiazheng said it hoped to have more languages, when asked if the website would consider having Bahasa Melayu.
"We will need time but we hope one day, we will have this language," he told participants of the just-concluded China-Asean Media Cooperation Seminar, the fourth since its launch in 2002, and hosted by People's Daily.
We had the chance to visit the place last Thursday, Narch 25.

After a decade of existence, the website has become an important window to enable international readers to understand and take a glimpse of China.
But, what's more crucial is that its success story has provided lessons on how new and traditional media could co-exist and supplement one another.
He said the rapid growth of new media had put tremendous pressure on, and poses great challenges to, the traditional media.
"Statistics from the World Association of Newspapers show, in 2009, 507 newspapers in the US saw drastic decreases in circulation.
"The Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, the world's second biggest newspaper, was suffering from its first deficit in 130 years since the start of publication.
"And in France, 154 out of every 1,000 French citizens buy newspapers regularly.
"The total revenue of The New York Times dipped 11.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2009 to US$680 million," he said.
Meanwhile, its Internet advertisement revenue rose 10.6 per cent to US$90.6 million, accounting for 23 per cent of all its advertisement revenue, he said.
This, he said, showed that along with the challenges, the media found even more opportunities and new sources of revenue.
With publication having begun in June 1948 and a current circulation of three million, People's Daily is among the most influential and authoritative newspapers in China. According to UNESCO, it takes its place among the world's top 10.
He said, while the 14-year-old website depended on the People's Daily group financial support in its early years, it had recorded profit over the last two years and "made some contribution to the group" .
Its well-equipped audio-visual studio for live internet coverage was built, using its own revenue.
"From this year, we expect business to be better," he said.
Much of the success hinged on the dedication of its 600-odd staff, most of whom are young and versatile for multi-tasking.

Mugshot photographs of the staff, with the words: "Why Can't We Be Number 1?" adorned one of the hallway walls of the old printing press building which was refurbished into a digitalised news operation centre.
On another strategic point was a picture of Chinese President Hu Jintao communicating with netizens when he went to PD Online on June 20, 2008.
The website is a perfect model for the theme, 'New Media Development', chosen for the seminar which is held every two years.
Asean Secretariat assistant director Linda Lee said, with new technology for mobile phones and the internet, the spread of new media was likely to increase, enhancing greater interactivity.
"In Asean, we have a relatively young population - about half of the 580 million people. The new media -- blogging, social networks, video sharing, podcasting etc -- may appeal more to them than traditional media," she said.
It was good news for the Asean delegates when a senior official in charge of the country's press policy assured them that China was prepared to discuss viable media projects to strengthen cooperation with the 10 member-grouping.
Liu Yunshan, head of publicity department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the mechanism for such ventures were institutionalised through the China-Asean Media Cooperation Seminar.
"There is big potential for us to strengthen cooperation, particularly in media technology. What is important is to identify good projects and ensure their efficiency," he said.

'Lempeng' breakfast in Beijing...

2010-03-28T11:07:00.006+08:00

It's fascinating that simple things like 'lempeng' or pancakes could turned out to be a source of income.
The closest to describe an everyday lempeng in Malaysia is probably the tosai easily found in restaurants all over the country. But 'Lempeng' sold on carts for breakfast is rare in Malaysia.
So it was delightful to see a husband-and-wife selling them on the road pavement not far from the Shangri-La Kerry Centre in Beijing.
Getting a freshly-cooked lempeng in this cold weather is nice.
When we touched down on Tuesday morning, the temperature was zero degree.

But Alhamdullillah, we were spared of the sandstorm which swamped the Chinese capital a few days earlier.
The warm clothing and birthday wishes from friends as I turned 49 in Beijing yesterday kept my spirits high.

The hotel surprised me when it brought a piece of cake to my room.
Thank you all.

Beijing's Oldest Mosque Attracts Worldwide Visitors...

2010-03-27T10:00:00.004+08:00

Wearing a songkok from Malaysia, the imam of Beijing's oldest and largest mosque happily ushered visitors into the mosque compound.

Sixty-two-year-old Taudin Baiyuchin said Muslims from all over the world visit the mosque which covers 10,000 sq metres and represents a mixture of Islamic and Chinese cultures.
Halal food eateries and supermarket are easily available in the area.
"I'm very happy to see Muslims from all over the world coming to this mosque. All Muslims are brothers," he said as he held an A-4 size note book containing comments from visitors from all over.
"This songkok is a gift from a visitor from Malaysia," he said smiling.
Built in 996, the Niujie Mosque is located in Beijing's Xuanwu district, the largest area inhabited by Muslims in this capital which has transformed itself into a modern, vibrant city.

Taudin, who has been an imam at the mosque for 10 years, said he remembered former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, before he became prime minister, visiting the mosque.
"Malaysians are warm-hearted people, friendly, and the country is beautiful...I've seen this from photos but I would want to go there if I have the chance," he said.
The Chinese government has funded several projects for the refurbishment of the mosque, described as one of the most famous mosques in the world, since 1949.

In 2005, the Government provided 25 million Yuan for its expansion and refurbishment -- the largest construction project so far -- including rebuilding of the Women's Hall.
The imam of Ningxia Province, Ding Guobao, 42, who was at the mosque last Friday, said Muslim visitors to China would be interested to visit his northwest province which had among the largest Muslim populations in the country.
"We have a population of over two million Muslims, a lot of mosques and halal food restaurants.

"We are also known for our sinseh and calligraphy," said Ding, who was on his way to an Islamic meeting in Egypt.
A group of Malaysian students taking Mandarin at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and a visiting group of airport staff from Penang were among those who performed Friday prayers at the mosque yesterday.

Taking up the challenge...

2010-03-26T15:20:00.002+08:00

When a group of 54 Malaysian students took up the challenge to learn Mandarin here five months ago, they knew very little of the language, if at all.
Today, they overcome their initial apprehension and adapted themselves to the challenge, and the cold weather.

"We were quite apprehensive initially when offered to learn Mandarin here but we managed to adapt to the curriculum and the environment," said Syazwan Shamim, 19, of Melaka.
He is among 54 students who accepted the Education Ministry's offer to learn Mandarin at the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), a world renowned language institution here.
"I am determined to master the language; this is in line with the 1Malaysia concept in which the people should understand one another," he said when met after performing the Friday prayers at Niujie Mosque, the oldest and biggest mosque in this Chinese capital city.
Muhaimi Razali, 21, from Kelantan said although difficult, he was determined to learn the language.
"I'm all prepared to face the challenge and that is why I agreed to sign an eight-year contract with the education ministry before coming here," he said.
The course will run for five years.

About 100 Malaysian students are taking up Mandarin at the university.
The move to send Malaysian students at the BFSU, which offers 36 language courses including Malay, is a follow up to the effort to internationalise the Malaysian education system.
Hishammuddin Hussein, who was then the education minister, visited the university on May 21, 2007, resulting in the signing of a memorandum on the exchange of students between the ministry's teachers' education division and the BFSU.
I remember the event all too well as I was part of his delegation.
Hishammuddin broke new ground being the first Malaysian Education Minister to visit China after 10 years.

China's extends 'media diplomacy' to Asean...

2010-03-25T20:00:00.002+08:00

China is prepared to discuss viable media projects to strengthen ties with Asean, says a senior official in charge of the country's press policy.
Liu Yunshan, head of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the mechanism for such ventures had been set through the China-Asean Media Cooperation Seminar, held every two years.

"As I see it, there is big potential for us to strengthen cooperation, particularly in media technology.
"What is important is to identify good projects and ensure their efficiency," he told participants of the seminar -- the fourth in its series -- who called on him at the Great Hall of the People.
Coincidently, visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai was meeting his Chinese host at another wing of the building at the same time.
Liu says media cooperation would be a significant component of China-Asean relationship, which had been boosted with the launch of the China-Asean Free Trade Area on January 1.
"We always believe that Asean countries are our neighbours, good friends and trustworthy partners," said Liu, a member of the political bureau of CPC Central Committee.
Describing the seminar as a success, he said the theme chosen on the challenges of new media was timely.
"The China-Asean Media Cooperation Seminar has increasingly been institutionalised...that's good because it has established a platform for media cooperation between China and Asean," he said.
He invited the Asean media organisations to send their reporters and photographers to cover the World Expo in Shanghai from May 1 to October and the Asian Games and Asian Paralympic Games in Guangzhou in October.

New Media To Enhance Asean-China Cooperation...

2010-03-24T15:00:00.002+08:00

Media officials and editors from around the region exchanged notes on new media with their Chinese host as they sought ways to harness the technology at the fourth Asean-China Media Cooperation Seminar in Beijing today.

Hosted by the People's Daily, the three-day seminar focused on the current development of new websites, trends and applications of new media technology.
In his address, People's Daily President Zhang Yannong described the relationship between traditional media and new media as "interwoven partners".
"Although new media has changed the pattern of information dissemination and the situation of the media industry, the content is of the highest priority and is still the nature of information transmission.

"In fact, traditional media remains the "content providers" for many news websites, which is the advantage that we live by.
"New media should not be opponents to traditional media, but our partners to create a win-win situation.
"New media will bring new vigour and vitality to traditional media, and it will make us even more influential than ever before through multimedia and other new technologies."
Vice Minister at the State Council Information Office Qian Xiaoqian said China's Internet users had reached 384 million, with an Internet penetration rate of around 29 per cent, exceeding the world average. China began to have access to Internet in 1994.

He said that at the current pace of development, in the next two to three years, the number of Chinese Internet users was expected to be more than 500 million in the next two to three years.
Among new Internet users in China, 75 per cent were in rural areas, which indicated that China was rapidly bridging the digital divide urban and rural areas.

China-Malaysia trade expansion top priority ...

2010-03-15T18:30:00.004+08:00

China's Ambassador to Malaysia, Liu Jian, has placed expansion of trade and investment between Malaysia and China as his top priority for this year.
He expressed confidence that the full implementation of the China-Asean Free Trade Area (FTA) this year would accelerate economic development between China and Malaysia.

He spoke about the optimism to the Malaysian media at a luncheon at his residence in Kuala Lumpur.
Liu said he expected trade exchanges between Malaysian and Chinese businessmen to reach new heights this year especially with the implementation of the agreements and in tandem with the global economic recovery.
"Our businesses are already actively pursuing their trade links with their Malaysian counterparts, and we would like to welcome Malaysian companies to continue investing in China,” he said.
In 2009, the bilateral trade volume reached US$50 billion (about RM170.1 billion).
Liu said bilateral ties between Malaysia and China entered a new chapter following visits by both national leaders to each other's country last year.
Both countries formalised three agreements and one memorandum of understanding (MoU) when Prime Minister Najib Razak made his first official visit to China in June 2009.
The first agreement signed between Malaysia and China witnessed by Najib and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was the Malaysia-China Joint Action Plan on Strategic Cooperation.

The second agreement was the Abolition of Visa Agreement which covered regulations on the travel of holders of diplomatic and official or service passports.
These personnel will no longer be required to get visas for travel to China or Malaysia.
The third document signed between the two countries was the Marine Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement.
The MoU signed was the Malaysia-China Postal Cooperation MoU.
On education, Liu also expressed hope that there would be closer collaboration between Malaysia and China.
He said there were about one million Chinese students studying in Malaysia.
At the same time, there were also about 2,000 Malaysian students doing their courses in China, he added.
The ambassador hoped more non-Chinese students from Malaysia would study in the republic.
On tourism, Liu said China was currently expanding its tourism market and would encourage more of its citizens to visit Malaysia.
He said an estimated one million Malaysians visited China last year.
Similarly, he added, some one million Chinese nationals visited Malaysia last year, with more expected to come, especially parents of students pursuing their studies in Malaysia.
BERNAMA

'1Malaysia' impresses French ambassador...

2010-02-07T18:25:00.000+08:00

As France debates on a national identity, the '1Malaysia' concept has drawn the interest of its ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, Dr Marc Barety.
"How you manage when you are a diverse country with many different communites and how everybody is working together towards the same goal is interesting," he told Bernama in an interview at the embassy in busy Jalan Ampang.
Noting that France was also a diverse country, he said the French Government had launched a debate on national identity, calling on citizens to express their views about what being French means.
"So, the answers are, of course, very diverse...we are not at the end of the process.
"For us, to see that Malaysia is also thinking of 1Malaysia and what it means to be one country when you have various communities is, of course, very interesting," noted Dr Barety.
According to a media report, the French Government launched a website last November for the people to give input in the project carried out by its ministry of immigration and national identity.
In the interview on France-Malaysia relations, Dr Barety said the increasing number of reciprocal visits by ministers of both countries was a step forward in bilateral relations.
"We have had more French ministers visiting Malaysia in the past year than we had before," he said.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi visited Paris for talks with French leaders and counterparts.
"Of course, the prime minister met with our president (Nicolas Sarkozy) but more important than that, they decided to engage in strategic partnership which is really an upgrade...it means a lot for the future," he said.
The ambassador, who met representatives of top French companies here last week, said Malaysia was a very attractive place for them.
"They told me they are happy here and they want to develop their business here...For me, this is very positive, when you compare this with what you read in some newspapers and talk to the people who know the business, it is very satisfying," added Dr Barety.
According to him, there are now 200 French companies in Malaysia while the number of French living in the country has grown to 2,300.
He said France was also keen to tap on Malaysia's expertise in Islamic finance and halal food.
"Malaysia is becoming (a) hub for (the) halal industry and we are trying to develop this.
"We have the French Muslim community who are already producing halal food," he said.

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar!

2010-02-03T08:45:00.000+08:00

After such a long break, thought I should share the following email which I received today:

"No one can make you serve customers well. That's because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay (who ever he is), tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.
He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .
He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'
Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said:
Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean! As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'
My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink'.
Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.'
Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke'.
Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today'.
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio. And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.
'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'
Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called 'You'll See It When You Believe It'. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd. That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more'.
'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.
'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action'.
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles. How about us?
A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar"

Australian envoy bids farewell with fond memories...

2010-01-29T16:00:00.002+08:00

With her tour of duty in Malaysia coming to an end, Australian High Commissioner Penny Williams can reflect with satisfaction on the strong, blossoming ties between the two countries.
Spanning trade, investment, education, defence and the socio-cultural spectrum, the bilateral bond had taken a new dimension to even benefit a third country.
"I'm extremely happy with what the two governments have achieved...happy with what we've done with Afghanistan and I think the ground is set for us to do more cooperation," said Williams who returns to Canberra at the end of March after a three-year stint.
Propelled by their long-standing relations in education, particularly in teacher training, Australia and Malaysia jointly brought some 30 teachers from Afghanistan for training here. Another 30 will be trained in the second round of the Malaysia-Australia Education Project for Afghanistan (MAEPA).
"I'm also very pleased that we have expanded the education relationship to include schools, not just universities," Williams said in an interview at the high commission in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, a stone's throw away from the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.
Twelve Malaysian and Australian schools have been chosen for a sister school arrangement with the number expected to increase to 24.
She spoke passionately about her desire to see more Australians studying in Malaysia while encouraging Malaysians to study in Australia.
Just two days ago, Williams hosted a reception for a group of 17 Malaysian scholars and professionals who received scholarships to pursue study and professional development in Australia this year.
"Education has always been at the heart of the Australia-Malaysia bilateral relationship.
"Through education, Malaysians and Australians have come to know each other better and have created binding ties between our two communities," she added.

A 'high' Hari Raya-do...

2009-10-19T20:00:00.007+08:00

We literally had a 'high' Hari Raya 'open house' on the 13th floor of Wisma Bernama.

Unlike the previous year, when celebration was held at the area around the building's entrance, we decided to have it indoor this time as the floor was available.
It used to be occupied by the Information Department which has moved to Wisma Sime Darby at Jalan Raja Laut.
Thanks to Baki, who proposed the idea of having the 'open house' on the 13th floor, it turned out to be a happy occasion.

Apart from minimising cost as we did not have to rent canopies like we did last year, the 'venue' provided a good view of the city.
More importantly, we were spared from the rain.
It was a wash-out the last time we had the celebration at the open space outside the building when it rained heavily.
It did rain this time too but the impact was minimal.

The turn-out was good with contacts and clients of the various sections making their way to share the joy with us.
Selamat Hari Raya! Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

(Photographs by Zuber Nordin)

Instilling the spirit of patriotism ...

2009-08-20T13:30:00.002+08:00

Busy Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur was 'rocked' by the presence of red-shirted teams distributing the national flag -- Jalur Gemilang.
It was among five locations in the city where the flags were distributed to business premises and shoppers to celebrate the 52nd National Day.

The other places were Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Brickfields, Jalan Petaling and Kampung Baru.
Heading the programme at Jalan Bukit Bintang was the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry Secretary-General Kamaruddin Siaraf.
Accompanying him were Bernama officers and staff led by Bernama General Manager Hasnul Hassan.About 1,200 large and hand-waving flags were given away.
Kamaruddin, who was very satisfied by the encouraging response from the people, hoped the initiative would raise awareness of the people to understand and appreciate the country's independence.
"I wish to thank (the) Pavilion (shopping centre) for contributing 1,000 flags to make the campaign a success.
"This is good cooperation between the government and the private sector," he said.

A Malaysian icon in unity …

2009-08-18T22:40:00.005+08:00

He's a hero to many Malaysians. Long before the talk of 1Malaysia, he was 1Malaysia.
What impress people most is the fact that he can convey a message – simple yet strong and in a fun way too.

His work inspires Malaysians to look beyond race, creed and religion in fostering unity.
He’s been described a legend, brilliant and an icon in depicting Malaysians as we are.
Those who have been featured in his caricatures have a common thing to say in that it was an honour to be drawn by him.
He is Lat or Mohammad Noor Khalid -- Malaysia’s most lovable cartoonist.
"1Malaysia has always been with us. We’ve been living the 1Malaysia way as far as I can remember. We’ve always mixed with each other. Friendship was always on our minds. I remember cycling all the way to town every Saturday when I was a youngster to meet up with my friends of various races. Each could play a musical instrument and we got together to play as a band. Music and sports can bring people together. I’ll use that as a guide to continue my work," said Lat.
A collection of 60 of Lat’s original sketches, dating from 1974 up to now, showing some of the funny and quirky moments in Malaysian politics, sports, economy and life in general is being exhibited at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Titled "Lat’s 1Malaysia Exhibition", it is on until August 31 at the east wing concourse of Bangsar Shopping Centre.
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad opened the exhibition, saying it is timely as Malaysia celebrates its 52nd Independence Day.

"Lat has the talent to make fun of people and situations without annoying anyone. When he picks a character to draw, he draws the unique feature of the person. When Lat draws me, I immediately recognise it because of the big nose. Really, it’s not that big," he said to the roar of laughter from the guests.

*Pictures and text from New Straits Times

Some people ...

2009-07-24T23:40:00.002+08:00

Unearthing the roots...

2009-07-23T20:10:00.000+08:00

Root crops are the second most important source of carbohydrate in the world's food supply -- the most important being cereals. In the Tropics, however, root crops are more important. In fact, in many tropical countries which do not grow rice, root crops are the staple diet.
In an effort to 'introduce' the root crops, Pos Malaysia today issued stamps and first day covers with the tuber theme.
The stamps come in four designs -- Ubi Keledek and Ubi Kayu, both in 30 sen denomination as well as Sengkuang and Ubi Badak, both in 50 sen denomination.
A mini sheet with the 'Ubi Keladi' design in RM3 denomination completes the latest collection.

Pos Malaysia says the term 'root crops' or 'tuber plants'is applied to plants which produce subterranean structures that are used as human or animal food. These perennial plants have organs which store plant nutrients.

Minggu ready to step down ...

2009-07-22T21:40:00.002+08:00

After four years of leading the Bernama staff union, my good friend Minggu Simon Lhasa is ready to pass the baton.
"I don’t intend to hold the position much longer…it’s time to give way to young blood," said the 41 year-old Minggu.
The union is due to elect new office-bearers at its biennial general meeting on Saturday, 8 August .
Saying he was “forced” to take up the post of union president when there was no taker, Minggu was lost for words when asked what he thought was his achievement as the union ‘chief’.
"I wouldn’t want to be seen as blowing my own trumpet but I have discharged my responsibilities to the best of my ability".
"For me, no issue is petty because if you don’t tackle them, the problem will become big," said the assistant editor of Bernama Economic Service.
Now that he will have more time for himself, will the bachelor Minggu seriously think about settling down?
To this, he chuckled and said: "I don’t think I will have to look for a life partner, if there is someone for me, she will come".

Safe and secure ...

2009-07-21T21:28:00.002+08:00

A new integrated security management system that incorporates a flash ID-card for staff is set to be activated at Wisma Bernama.
Our security chief Zainal Razali – or KP to his subordinates, has been busy over the past two weeks getting staff to collect their ID cards that were issued by the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry.
Being an agency under the ministry, we are fortunate that the new security system has been put in place with their support.

“We’ve given out 622 cards and a handful more still not collected.
“It’s important that everyone has the card, otherwise they may not gain access once the system is on,” said Zainal who heads a 22-strong unit.
A veteran of 29 years in Bernama, he said the task of keeping Wisma Bernama ‘safe and secure’ was even crucial now.
“With Bernama radio and Bernama TV operating from the building, other than our other services, we cannot take things easy,” he said.
He recalled an incident when a woman claimed that she had an appointment to see a guest who was being interviewed on radio and wanted to go up to see him.
“I managed to talk her out when I sense that she was just trying her luck after hearing the interview live on radio,” he said.

Apart from the building, Zainal and his team handles parking – a ‘tough’ problem until the management decided to rent the adjacent land and convert it into a parking area three months back.

A day of reflection ….

2009-07-20T18:30:00.007+08:00

As Muslims mark the 27th of Rejab -- a historic date in the Islamic calendar, a ‘ceramah’ on Israk and Mikraj was held at the Wisma Bernama surau.
The talk touched on the significance of Israk and Mikraj to Muslims and the lessons that could be derived from them.
Israk and Mikraj, refer to the one-night journey of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. from Masjidil Haram in Makkah to Masjidil Aqsa in Baitulmaqdis and subsequently, to the heavens – Sidratil Muntaha and back to Makkah.

It was during the journey that the five prayer times were ordered for Muslims.
Assistant secretary of the surau committee Hanafiah Omar said the ‘ceramah’ was to enhance understanding of Israk and Mikraj among Muslim staff.

“It is an opportunity to reflect on the many important lessons from the sacred journey such as the five obligatory prayers,” he said.
The committee plans to hold more ‘ceramah’ in the coming fasting month of Ramadan.

Smooth driving the radio way ….

2009-07-20T10:41:00.005+08:00

Traffic jams not only waste time of motorists and passengers but can cause mental stress to them. Delays may result in late arrival for employment, meetings and education, resulting in lost business, disciplinary action or other personal losses.
Jams also pave way for wastage of fuel and wear and tear of vehicle parts which ultimately waste the money of the motorists.

Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat said motorists could plan their journey better to avoid traffic jams if they have information on the traffic situations.
He drove home the point when launching Bernama Radio24 "Info Trafik KL" at Wisma Bernama this morning.

Ong also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Bernama Radio24, Sunlight Radio Taxi Sdn Bhd and Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) on creating the new programme.
He described the tie-up as “permuafakatan tiga sekawan (a three-friend collaboration)”
Sunlight taxi drivers will directly share information on the traffic situation in the Klang Valley with listeners of Radio24 from 6am to 10am and from 4pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
At the same function, Ong launched a road safety campaign themed "Smart Driving" in which 1,000 Sunlight taxis operating in the Klang Valley will display the campaign stickers with tips on courteous driving.

A Nielsen study concluded that 60 per cent of radio listeners in Malaysia listened to the radio while driving. This indicates the importance of providing information on traffic situations for the convenience of road users.

United... for Malaysia!

2009-07-19T12:29:00.004+08:00

While browsing the newspaper during breakfast with my teenage son, he pointed to me a photo of the spectators at the Malaysia-Manchester United match yesterday.

"Pa, look at that, just one guy in Malaysian jersey amongst Manchester United supporters,” he said of the photo on the back page of the Sunday Times. The man in the yellow-and-black Malaysian jersey appeared lost being surrounded by cheering red-shirted MU fans.
The Sunday Star, which also had a similar photo, reported that die-hard MU fans turned the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil into a sea of red. The fans, of all ages, came out in full force clad in red – jerseys, shorts, caps, scarfs, bandanas – to welcome English Premier League champions Manchester United.

This is the Red Devils’ fifth visit to Malaysia since 1980. The last time United were here, in 2001, some 70,000 fans turned up to see them trounce the national team 6-0.This time, nearly 85,000 fans were packed into the stadium.
“Not surprisingly, 95% of the spectators were dressed in red although this is supposed to be a home game for Malaysia!,” says the report.

Footnote: The young Malaysian side held the visitors 2-2 for 84 minutes before new signing Michael Owen scored the winner for the Red Devils.

Of artwork and ‘Laman Santai’ ….

2009-07-18T23:00:00.010+08:00

When the National Art Gallery offered visuals of artwork that were being exhibited as backdrop for Bernama TV bulletins, I thought it was a brilliant idea.
Not only was it good for inter-agency cooperation but helps promote arts to a wider audience.
“You can show the different paintings every day,” said its director-general Dr Mohamed Najib Ahmad Dawa, himself a famed batik artist.
He was referring to the ‘Mosaics of Malaysia’ exhibition that showcases the wide-ranging work of China’s renowed artist Zhang Zhou.
The exhibition to commemorate 35 years of friendly relations between Malaysia and China opened on June 13 and will run until Aug 31. Commissioned by a Malaysian collector, the artist took six years to produce the 100 paintings on display.

Although the visuals could not be projected as the bulletin backdrop because of technicalities, they were prominently displayed during credit line at the end of the bulletins of all four languages – Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil.
More than being agencies under the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry, the National Art Gallery and Bernama are “neighbours” along Jalan Tun Razak -- the road becoming even more prominent as it is named after the second prime minister and father of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
Another ‘family’ agency in the neighbourhood is Istana Budaya which organizes the 'Laman Santai' programme on Saturday nights like this.
I discovered tonight that the programme, based on the concept of relaxing while being entertained, is quite a happening.

Family and friends gathered in a picnic-like atmosphere with a familiar face on Bernama TV commercials Ezlyn among the entertainers for this week.
A favourite conversation topic for the night was no doubt the slim 3-2 win of visiting Manchester United over Malaysia a few hours earlier.

Footnote: After cancelling their trip to Jakarta, Manchester United will play another match against the Malaysian selection on Monday

In the thick of action ...

2009-07-17T23:45:00.004+08:00

My Jakarta-based colleague Nasir Yusof had his hands full covering the bomb explosions at two luxury hotels in the Indonesian capital this morning.
Eight people were killed in the explosions at the JW Marriott Hotel and Ritz Carlton Hotel in the Mega Kuning commercial area.
The explosions within two minutes of each other, happened at 7.45am and 7.47am.
Having a bureau in Jakarta helps because it enables Bernama to get the news fast and first-hand.
As correspondent with multi-tasking responsibilities, Nasir not only provided the news for our wire service but gave voice reports for Bernama Radio24. His reports were picked up by Bernama TV as well.
Even RTM sought Nasir to provide situational reports for their bulletins.
As news agency, Bernama need to update such stories from time-to-time. For this, Nasir has to keep on his toes, constantly checking with his sources on the development. At one stage, he sms to alert me that he had updated the death toll to nine from four in his earlier report.
Yet before midnight, Nasir sent his last update with the confirmed number of eight dead, including two suicide bombers, in his story of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemning the attacks.

Footnote: The touring Manchester United team, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur today, was supposed to stay at the Jakarta Ritz Carlton after their Malaysian stop.

From typewriter to computer ...

2009-07-16T22:33:00.013+08:00

For the man who took Bernama from “typewriter-to-computer”, former general manager Ahmad Mustapha Hassan can take pride of Bernama’s transformation.
“Now Bernama is a real conglomerate, I wouldn’t know how to manage it,” he said at a talk to share his experience with past and present staff at Wisma Bernama today.
He took up the post in October 1981 when Bernama was operating from the MCOBA Building at what was then known as Jalan Lornie (now Jalan Syed Putra).
The operation was small but ‘noisy’, he said.
“The noise in the office was terrible, you can hear all sorts of noise…the teleprinters, typewriters…we had to change.
“We have to get computers to make it easier to disseminate news, easier to work,” he recalled.
Of course he had to face opposition, “some argued that it would affect pregnant staff”.
“It took me some time to convince them that it would not affect the baby,” he said.
But it was not until Bernama moved to the present Wisma Bernama in 1984 that the computerization plans were put into place.

Along with computerization, he saw opportunities for Bernama to generate its own money.
He was instrumental in getting the Bernama Act to be ammended in 1985 to enable the agency to venture into commercial activities.

“I wanted Bernama to be less dependent on the government,” he said and spoke about the partnership deals which Bernama clinched with some major news agencies and the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
He recalled the time when Bernama headed the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) from 1981 to 1985.
It was the time when Unesco under the leadership of Amadou-Mahtar M'bow, a Senegalese, wanted to break the dominance of the “Big 4” in international news flow.
The Paris-based UN agency published the McBride Commission report in 1980 with the theme “Many Voices One World”. Among the problems the report identified were concentration of the media, commercialization of the media, and unequal access to information and communication.
News of the Third World reported by the major international news agencies were mostly about disasters and misfortune. The Third World were convinced that they and their interests were largely ignored and, when covered at all, subjected to ridicule, cynicism, and abuse.

Ahmad Mustapha said M’Bow was helpful to Bernama in the operation of OANA, which was set-up with Unesco's backing in 1961.
“The Unesco regional communication adviser S.M.Ali, a Bangladeshi, was based in KL…he too helped us a lot,” he said.
“We managed to get fund from Unesco to organize various workshops and seminars to help upgrade reporting in Asia Pacific," said Ahmad Mustapha, who ended his stint as GM on November 30, 1987.
For all that his done, it’s a wonder that he is still without a ‘Datukship’ to his name. When asked about this, the 73 year-old replied in jest:
“Well, I’m a datuk with eight grandchildren.”

NNN -- Malaysia's commitment to NAM ...

2009-07-16T19:42:00.009+08:00

While Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak makes his debut at the on-going Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Egypt, Malaysia can take pride that it is home to a practical, NAM-related working entity – the NAM News Network (NNN).
It is more gratifying for Bernama as the NNN Secretariat is located on the 15th floor of Wisma Bernama since its inception in 2006.
The Secretariat is administered by a director who supervises an eight-member editorial team working 12 hours daily, seven days a week.
With its tagline "The NNN is about NAM, by NAM, for NAM and the world", NNN transmits more than 100 news items a day covering Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America & Carribbean and Europe.
Besides English, the news items are sent out in Spanish.
It was great to see my former news editor Musa Scully, 67, back at Wisma Bernama as subs-editor with NNN.

“I still go to the gym, play tennis and go dancing,” he quipped.
As a newsman, Musa was much-respected and taught us -- cadet reporters in the early 1980’s – the journalism trade.
"Stick to the 5Ws and 1H," he said.

Surge in Bernama portal hits...

2009-07-15T13:30:00.004+08:00

The Bernama website registers some 95 million hits a month. The figure has more than double since the website located at www.bernama.com was revamped in August last year. It had a monthly hits of 40 million at that time.
With internet usage on the rise, the Bernama "on-line electronic newspaper" is expected to chart an even higher figure by year's end.
Internet users in Asia have jumped to 657 million as of March 31, 2009, according to a report by the European Travel Commission's New Media Trend Watch.
Quoting statistics from the Internet World Stats, an international website that features up-to-date world Internet usage, the report said that this latest figure is an increase of 474.9 percent compared to 2000.
Among the top Internet users in Asia as of April 2009 are China with 298 million (or 22.4 percent of the country's population), Japan with 94 million (73.8 percent), India with 81 million (7.1 percent), and South Korea with 36.8 million (76.1 percent).
Indonesia leads the south-east Asian countries with 25 million (10.5 percent) and followed by Vietnam with 20.9 million (24.4 percent) and the Philippines with 20.6 million (21.5 percent).
In May 2007, there were nearly 284 million people aged 15 or older who accessed the Internet from either a home or work computer in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the report.
"The average person in the Asia-Pacific region visited the Internet on 13.8 days in the month and spent 20.2 hours viewing 2,171 pages," it added.
Compared to the global average of 17.1 usage days per month, 25.2 hours per month, and 2,519 pages per month, Asia-Pacific Internet usage is considered to be "somewhat lower than the rest of the world".
Asia top 10 countries:
1. China: 298,000,000 (22.4% of the population in the country)
2. Japan: 94,000,000 (73.8%)
3. India: 81,000,000 (7.1%)
4. South Korea: 36,794,800 (76.1%)
5. Indonesia: 25,000,000 (10.5%)
6. Vietnam: 20,993,374 (24.4%)
7. Philippines: 20,650,000 (21.5%)
8. Pakistan: 17,500,000 (10.1%)
9. Malaysia: 15,868,000 (62.8%)
10 Taiwan: 15,140,000 (66.1%)
(Internet World Stats, April 2009)

What you are doesn't matter ...

2009-07-14T13:05:00.006+08:00

A friend, who until recently held an influential post working for a political VIP, is out-of-job but he is taking things in his stride.
“Don’t worry, I’ll survive with the little things I do here and there,” he told me over the phone yesterday.
He went on to tell me about his situation after being sidelined by his ‘boss’.
What touched me was when he asked if I still consider him a friend.
“Of course… you’re my friend because of who you are, not what you are,” I said.

I admire his character and determination to take on whatever jobs to support his family.
“I even work at construction site… mixing cement and lay bricks during weekends…at least I can get RM150 a day, life has to go on,” he said.
His self-esteem reminded me of two guys who were basking at a food court near the KL Hospital.
Their rendition of local hits made my breakfast of tosai and ‘teh halia’ even tastier.
"I respect them...it's a better way to earn money than begging," said a hospital staff who shared the table with me.

A memorable day for Fairuz ...

2009-07-13T13:42:00.009+08:00

Muhammad Fairuz Syuhaimi and his university-mates were among thousands who made their way to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Saturday for the PM's "100 days in office" public gathering. They got to see not just Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak but former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as well.
When I met him later at a fast-food restaurant, the 19 year-old Fairuz, who is doing Physics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, was excited about meeting Dr Mahathir.
As proof, the Taiping lad took out his handphone and showed me the photo of him with Dr Mahathir.
I asked him if he could forward me the photo so I could post it on this blog.
"I can do it now if there's wi-fi here," he said and remarked that he had his laptop in his knapsack.
"Well you guys are so IT-savvy...I had to depend on the typewriter when I first joined Bernama," I replied.
As the place was crowded, he said he would emailed me the photo.
So, in keeping to my promise, I'm posting the photo which Fairuz sent to me this morning.
He may not realize it but thanks to Dr Mahathir's foresight, ICT is now part of our daily life.

(It's not difficult to identify Fairuz -- the guy with the knapsack, of course, on the extreme left)

Dare to dream…

2009-07-12T13:17:00.010+08:00

When I was at my daughter’s school the other day, I was inspired by the many “Words of Wisdom” that adorned the walls of its corridors and classrooms.
One that caught my eye was: “ALWAYS AIM FOR THE SKY, AT LEAST WHEN YOU FALL, YOU CAN REACH THE CLOUDS”

And so it was a coincident that I met Air Asia’s ‘big boss’ Tony Fernandes for the first time at the PM’s 100 Days in Office gathering at KLCC yesterday. Several students – boys and girls were obviously excited to pose pictures with him. For the man, who helped made possible for anyone to fly, Tony has literally piloted the airlines to great heights not just across the country and region but across continents.
As he posed with the students for their cameras, I thought he had sent another strong message – no matter how high you have gone in life, never forget the humble ground.
I suppose this is partly what the PM’s “walkabout” philosophy stands for. Since assuming the “No 1” post on April 3, Najib has gone to the ground numerous times to hear the people’s grouses and to “feel the pulse of the people”.
He told the gathering that he has yet to find a Malay term for “walkabout”.
The closest I can think of is “turun padang”, a phrase normally used to describe the occasion when leaders go and meet the people under their care.
Three university students I met after the event were appreciative of what the government has done for the people.
“I cried when I was about to go for my PLKN stint but after three months there, I shed my tears when it was time to go home…it was just so sad to leave,” says 19 year-old bespectacled Shikin, who is taking Physics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Her university-mate Noraida who could easily be mistaken for a secondary student because of her small-built said it was worth the trip from their campus in Bangi to see the Prime Minister in person.
When she told me she was studying Maths, I remarked how proud her parents in Tok Uban in Kelantan are of her academic pursuit.
Another student Fairuz, who is doing Physics, was equally happy to be there.

“I met Dr Mahathir,” he said and gleefully took out his handphone to show me the photo of him with the former prime minister.
Talking to them was so refreshing as they carry the hopes for the future. Moreover, I was about their age when I joined Bernama in 1980.
I told them that during my schooldays, the scope was not that wide for students to dream of what they wanted to be when they grew up.
But now the sky is the limit – literally -- as Malaysia can be proud to have our own “Angkasawan”.
This could be summarized in Najib’s own words which were highlighted in an exhibition held in conjunction with the gathering:

“For the next 50 years, we will open up the minds of the settlers’ children to see whatever possibilities that we have never dream of, but with opportunities given, we will be able to achieve those we have never thought of,” he said after launching the national-level Settlers Day 2009 celebration at Felda Maokil, in Labis, Johor on July 7.

Good news for the people...

2009-07-11T15:31:00.008+08:00

Marking his 100th day in office as the prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced 11 "people-friendly" measures at a public gathering in the federal capital that was telecast live over national radio and television.

He made the announcement at the "100 Days of Najib with the People" function at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).
The measures are:
1. A 20 per cent discount for users of the pre-paid Smart Tag and Touch n Go cards who pay toll 80 times or more in a month.
2. The government offer for sale of 44,000 units of public housing to people renting these premises in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
3. A 50 per cent discount on the licence renewal fee for hawkers and petty traders in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur with immediate effect.
4. The government's raising by 3,000 the number of taxi permits, the applications for which will be approved over the next three months.
5. The introduction of drastic measures to reduce crime and fight corruption.
6. Facilitating applications for registration of births in Sabah and Sarawak.
7. Construction of additional roads in Sabah and Sarawak.
8. Upgrading of water and electricity supply in Sabah and Sarawak.
9. Reduction to RM211 the fee for learning to ride Class B2 motorcycles of 250cc and below, beginning Sept 1.
10. Increasing by RM150 million the allocation for Tekun Nasional, with RM15 million to be made available for young entrepreneurs from the Indian community.
11. Introduction of the new Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (1Malaysia Unit Trust) with a size of 10 billion units.

100 days in office ....

2009-07-11T08:00:00.002+08:00

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today marks his 100th day in office as the Prime Minister. Here are some of his quotable quotes since assuming office on April 3.

* "In our national discourse and in pursuing our national agenda, we must never leave anyone behind. We must reach out to the many who may have been disaffected and left confused by political games, deceit and showmanship. The people first must transcend every level of society." (When assuming office as the sixth prime minister on April 3)

* "I urge us to rise to the challenge of building a 1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now." (When assuming office as the sixth prime minister on April 3)

* "My visit is to meet the ordinary people and to find out their problems." (During a walkabout in Kuala Lumpur on April 4)

* "I do not want my presence to be assessed by the kompang beat, a red carpet, and even my name is not in the backdrop today. I dropped by to celebrate the Kaamatan Day because I would like to stress that I am the prime minister for all the people." (When opening the 14th Klang Valley Kaamatan Day celebration on May 2)

* "The interest of the people should be given priority. As such the KPI is the most relevant medium of reminder... the benchmark is the people." (When addressing the Prime Minister's Department monthly assembly on May 5)

* "I don't craze for power for the sake of power but I need power to serve the people and ensure successful nation building." (Addressing a farewell reception at the Finance Ministry on May 20)

* "The 1Malaysia is not a new concept or formula but its ultimate objective is national unity, which is the primary vision of previous administrators translated into various forms over the last five decades or so.
In other words, 1Malaysia is a concept to foster unity in Malaysians of all races based on several important values which should become the practice of every Malaysian." (Replying on the 1Malaysia concept during question time in the Dewan Rakyat on June 15)

* "We must break the race barrier. We should not look at skin colour but as one Malaysia. If one needs help, he should be helped. If we have that attitude, we will move forward." (Launching the 1Malaysia logo and song at Dataran Merdeka on June 27)

'Blue rice' for breakfast ...

2009-07-11T07:00:00.010+08:00

Nasi Kerabu is an authentic rice dish from Kelantan. The rice is tinted blue after it is soaked and cooked with local flowers called bunga telang.

The blue rice is then served with a combination of fresh aromatic herbs, or known as ulam.
The “kerabu” (some foreigners it described as salad) could be any vegetables or edible leaves though the more or less standard version will have daun kesum, taugeh (bean sprout), thinly cut long green beans, bunga kantan, cucumber and daun kadok.
Apart from that it is also served with fried breaded fish, keropok keping, salted egg, solok lada (fish fillet and coconut-stuffed chillis), and pickled garlic (local gherkins).
You need not go to Kelantan though to get the popular breakfast dish as a number of places in Kuala Lumpur have them. A favourite place is at the Datuk Keramat market which also offers nasi dagang, nasi berlauk and laksam -- all popular Kelantan dish.
I was fortunate to meet an uncle -- Halim, an occasional patron of the place. He was just back from Kelantan where he stayed a for week to attend a relatives wedding.

"I was so happy to be there although not many of our relatives are there anymore," said Halim who has been living in Kuala Lumpur for more than 30 years.

Al-Fatihah for 'Kak' Nawal …..

2009-07-10T18:08:00.009+08:00

A light drizzle fell from the sky as the remains of ‘Kak‘ Nawal Ismail was laid to rest at the Taman Ibu Kota Muslim burial ground after the Friday prayers.
The former Bernama journalist died at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital at 3.10am.
Bernama quoted her daughter, Farah Naz Abdul Karim, 32, as saying that Nawal died of septicaemic shock with multi-organ failure. She was 56.
Apart from Farah, she had four other children from her marriage to Abdul Karim Shukor who retired as Bernama chief news editor in 1995.
They married in 1972, a year after Nawal joined Bernama as a cadet reporter. The marriage lasted 20 years.
Nawal left the organization after four years to join a public relations company. She was also involved in publishing magazines and writing drama scripts.

Besides Farah, another daughter Yasmin is also a journalist with The Star, says ‘Abang’ Karim.
Al-Fatihah ...

Stamping the '1Malaysia' feelings ...

2009-07-09T13:30:00.009+08:00

The Stamp and Philately Unit at Pos Malaysia headquarters in Kuala Lumpur is full of people every time new collection of stamps and first-day covers are issued. Today is no exception.

Featuring traditional houses of all Malaysian states, the latest collection is aimed at highlighting the rich architectural heritage in the country.
The series of 16 stamps – each in 50 sen denomination – depict the different traditional houses of the 13 states. While many like the designs, some have their reservations.
“Too many varieties…they should have come out with two series,” says avid collector Andy Tan, a regular face at such first-day stamp launch at the post office.

Like many of his fellow collectors, the occasion is an opportune time for them to catch-up with one another.
“For senior citizens like me, everyday is a complimentary, you never know when or where you'll be next,” said the 65 year-old Tan.
Brought together by their philatelic passion, the place is like a friendship area for young and old from various backgrounds to share their interest.

Think about the ‘1Malaysia’ concept and you could consider the situation as one aspect of it.

'Atukship' in mind for Halid ...

2009-07-08T22:00:00.006+08:00

With his eldest daughter getting married soon, long-serving Bernama staff Mad Halid Shariff is ready to enter a new phase in his life.
"It's time to prepare for 'Datukship'...a natural Datuk," said a beaming Halid, handing out the invitation cards for the wedding to office-mates.
Twenty-five year old Norhidayah, a research officer at Universiti Putra Malaysia, is the eldest of his six children.
Halid, 54, and his wife Norrizah will hold the reception at their home in Bandar Baru Sentul on August 1.
Widely-known as Bongek -- the name of his kampung in Negeri Sembilan, Halid has been in Bernama for 35 years and had witnessed much of its progress.
"I could not imagine then that Bernama would develop from a news agency to a multimedia organisation with radio and television outfits," said Halid who joined Bernama in 1974 as a library staff.
When the audio-visual department was set-up in 1999, Halid was among its pioneer batch with the crucial responsibility of archiving the visuals. The AV department eventually became what is now known as Bernama TV -- the 24-hour all-news channel on Astro 502.
"I'm glad Bernama is more visible now with the news bulletins in four languages over TV," he said.

Openg gets his Exora...

2009-07-07T18:17:00.005+08:00

After waiting anxiously for three months, my colleague Openg finally got his brand-new Proton Exora delivered to him today. Even then, he had to book the vehicle from another outlet which kept its promise to hand it over within a month.
"In fact, I got it in less than two weeks," said the proud owner of WST7696.

Openg can take credit as the first owner of Exora at Wisma Bernama.
The Exora was launched on 15 April 2009 and is the first Malaysian-designed MPV.
"This is a new experience and excitement in my life," says Openg who chose "Blue Haze" for the colour of his 1.6 automatic trasmission.
"The colour tone can change according to the amount of sunlight it gets," he explained.
Asked where he would be taking his family, he said: "Outside KL, it will be Port Dickson, insya-Allah before the fasting month."
While Openg took delivery of the vehicle, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak unveiled Proton Holdings Berhad's Exora 1.6 Manual Transmission (MT) version alongwith Saga Special Edition (Saga SE).
The event was held at the Felda Settlers Day 2009 at Felda Maokil in Segamat, Johor.
The Exora MT will be priced at RM64,998 (metalic) and RM 64,548 (solid) with insurance coverage.
The cars will be available for sale at all Proton Edar and EON showrooms from August 15.

Kuala Krai…remembered

2009-07-06T19:50:00.008+08:00

Kuala Krai – the small town in Kelantan where I spent my early childhood, hit the news today as the Manik Urai state by-election gets underway. The nomination was held at the Sultan Yahya Petra secondary school with Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS locked in a straight fight. The school, where my late father was once a teacher before he took up another job in Kuala Lumpur, would also be the vote tallying centre for the polling on July 14.

In the late 60s and early 70s, I remember Kuala Krai as a small, remote town “at the end of the road”. The railway station was popular though as the train provided the access to the west coast – via Gua Musang to Kuala Lipis and right up to Gemas. The train was the preferred mode of transportation then as going to KL by road was cumbersome.
The radio was popular too during the era known as "pop yeh-yeh". The schoolboys had a band called "Khafileanos" which played alongside several top singers they invited from Kuala Lumpur for their concert at the town's only cinema.

The Bradley Steps was another prominent feature as the place to measure the water levels during monsoon floods. I'm told that the location has been renamed as 'Tangga Krai'.
There was also a kindergarten at Jalan Geale which offered lessons in English for six-year olds. Looking back, it’s a wonder that we could have English classes in such an ‘ulu’ place at that time.
After kindergarten, I went to the Sultan Yahya Petra primary school until Standard 3 before moving to Klang.
With the by-election on, Kuala Krai -- the nearest town to Manik Urai, would no doubt be the dateline for the election news in the coming days.
Bernama reported today that on an ordinary day, Manik Urai with its peaceful environment away from the hustle and bustle of city life, is nothing more than an isolated Malay settlement situated along Jalan Kuala Krai-Gua Musang.
However, all that has changed overnight as approximately 30,000 people who live and work as rubber tappers in Manik Urai, face the intimidating presence of city folks, dignitaries and politicians in their area.
The serene environment changed with the death of its state assemblyman, Ismail Yaacob of Pas, on May 22, which called for a by-election.
How did Manik Urai got its name? I Some claim that the name is connected to a story of a broken necklace which was made of beads (manik) but some older residents believed the name originated from a Malay beauty by the name of Mak Nik Urai who once lived in the village.
"Mak Nik was famous for her beauty and her long beautiful hair, hence they named the place Manik Urai and so I heard," said a resident, Abdullah Jusoh, 64, from Kampung Laloh, about 30kms from Kuala Krai.
His view was shared by Olak Jeram district chief, Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman who said that the woman's family came from Northern Thailand and were among the earliest settlers in the area.
"Although there are varying stories of how the place got its name, most of the older residents insist that it was from Mak Nik Urai who lived in Kampung Pasir, near the Keretapi Tanah Melayu track, around 1940s.
"Mak Nik Urai's family and relatives who were farmers and rubber tappers, continued to expand and they opened other settlements across the railway," he said.
Manik Urai is also famous for its Lata Rek waterfall, located in Kampung Laloh.

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.
- Harold B. Melchart

Friends make you happy ...

2009-07-05T16:00:00.012+08:00

It was a beautiful Sunday morning for my friend Halim who had breakfast with his wife at the hillside Al-Ghufran mosque cafe at Pinggiran Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
He thoughtfully sms me about it just as I was getting my hair cut at the barber. I had told him about the cafe when he came to see me at the office on Thursday.
He was at the cafe after sending his 16 year-old son for a school-organised course held at the mosque complex.
In our sms exchanges, I asked him what he like about the place.
"As we were eating we were entertained by the chirping sounds of birds. The after rain air smells so fresh. And having breakfast with my darling wife tops it all!," said Halim who was in UPM with me.
Just to know how happy a friend is makes me excited too. For in my silent hope, I would want to make at least three people happy each day as their joy is our strength.
The value of friendship could never be measured in monetary terms.
My primary school-mate Rauf is another happy man today. He held a grand feast at his home in Klang to celebrate the wedding of his son.

Although it has been 36 years since we left the Simpang Lima Primary School in Klang, we still keep the contact. He had in fact phoned me two weeks ago to inform me about the reception.
"Bring along your family," he had told me. I did and it turned out to be another great family outing especially when my elder daughter is getting back to campus this week for her final semester.

Thanks to Rauf, I got to meet other classmates who turned up for the reception. Dr Jayaraj, who runs two dental clinics, Stephen Tew (whose business foray includes futsal centres), Arifin and Tirath Singh.

Hopes dashed for cross-border rugby friendly ...

2009-07-04T10:10:00.004+08:00

Forty years after their last rugby friendly, Victoria Institution (VI) and Vajiravudh College (VC) of Bangkok were expected to revive the cross-border match tradition at the Kuala Lumpur school field on Monday. But it looks like the plan has been dashed, at least for now.
I received the news from VI Parent Teachers Association chairman Raja Amir Shah Raja Abdul Aziz, who had been working hard to revive the friendly, via his sms this morning:
“Dear all, unfortunately, VI VC rugby game is cancel due to VC player are quarantine in mckk due to H1N1 flu. The monday game is cancel, pls let others know - ydp ras”

I can imagine how disappointed he is. The first VI-VC rugby match was held in 1963 and later in 1965, 1967 and 1969.
"After being accorded the heritage status and getting its old name back, this would be a motivating factor for all VI stakeholders to support the VI aspiration to be the top school in the country again, both in studies and sports," he had said a few days ago.
Indeed, it would have been great if the friendly match could be revived, not just for both schools but the two neighbouring countries – Malaysia and Thailand.
Dya Singh, VI Sportsman of the Year 1969, remembers the VI-VC rugby tie of that year.
“They were here and they were really good,” he recalled after I told him about the VI-VC game when he dropped by at my office yesterday.

No, Dya Singh did not play in that match. He represented the school in cricket, hockey and football (including alongside his junior, the late Malaysian soccer legend Mokhtar Dahari).
They were in the VI squad who won the Khir Johari Cup for the inter-schools championship in 1969 after defeating the Royal Military College.
The 59 year-old Dya Singh has carved his name as a top musician in Melbourne, Australia, which is his home now.
He leads the Australian multicultural music group named after him and the troupe has been to Japan, Singapore, Kenya, Tanzania, United States, Canada, UK, Pakistan, Germany, Ireland and Thailand since its inception in 1984.
Dya Singh was in the news recently after embarking on a 160 kilometre, six-day charity walk from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka with two friends.

1Team, 1Dream, 1Bernama ...

2009-07-03T18:42:00.010+08:00

Taking the cue from the Prime Minister's 1Malaysia call, Bernama formally launches its '1Team, 1Dream, 1Bernama' campaign today to magnify the spirit of oneness among the staff.
For an organisation which has expanded from merely being a wire service, the esprit de corps drive is timely.
Having established itself as the national news agency, Bernama has ventured into the broadcasting sphere with Radio24 Bernama and Bernama TV on Astro Channel 502.

The campaign took off in high spirit with a treasure hunt that drew participation from some 70 staff.
They had to answer 20 questions based literally on "photographs and writings on the walls" on various floors of Wisma Bernama.
The participants were also required to hand in two treasures which were really 'giveaways'.

But the best part of the hunt was that everyone was a winner simply by being a team.
Isn't that what team stands for -- Together Everyone Achieve More!

Being yourself ...

2009-07-01T20:31:00.000+08:00

Bon voyage Monsieur Bob ...

2009-06-29T20:39:00.003+08:00

Paris is like a second home for my buddy Bob. He has been to the City of Love a couple of times over the last two years. Like many visitors, Bob could not escape the magic and aura that surrounds the city.
He remembers fondly the Citedine and Monoprix. And of course, the Unesco headquarters.
This time around he will be covering a 'new' man -- Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister who also holds the Education portfolio.
As Malaysia sits in the Unesco executive board, Muhyiddin will now represents the country at its meetings in Paris, having taken over from Hishammuddin Hussein who has moved to the Home Ministry.
I'm sure Bob will give his best, no matter who's in charge.

File photo of Bob with Hishammuddin at the Unesco hq in 2007

The hillside mosque cafe ...

2009-06-28T20:06:00.007+08:00

The Al-Ghufran Mosque at Taman Tun Dr Ismail is extraordinary. Situated on a hillock, it has a cafe which offers good food and a breathtaking view that makes an excellent spot for family and friends get-together. It serves local and Western cuisine from 6am to 11pm daily.
The cafe, which can cater up to 400 people, was opened for business on May 10. It is reputed to be the only one of its kind in the country.

But the cafe is not the only special feature of the mosque. It also provides rooms called 'Kamar Musafir' for out-of-town visitors travelling alone or with families. The rate ranges from RM60 to RM220.
For further information:
Masjid Al-Ghufran
Kompleks Balai Islam
Pinggir Taman Tun Dr Ismail
No 6C, Jalan 4/71B,
Jalan Damansara,
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-77282127

Like stars ...

2009-06-24T20:25:00.001+08:00

Friends from the Pacific ...

2009-06-23T17:50:00.001+08:00

Joseph Ealedona is Managing Director of the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) of Papua New Guinea and one of PNG’s most prominent journalists. He is currently the President of the Pacific Island News Association (PINA) -- the premier regional organisation representing the interests of media professionals in the Pacific region. It links radio, television, newspapers, magazines, online services, national associations and journalism schools in 23 Pacific Island.
PINA runs an online regional news service -- Pacnews which is headquartered in Suva, Fiji.

During our discussion this afternoon, Ealedona expressed interest to link Pacnews with Bernama so as to bring news about the Pacific to Asia and vice-versa.
That would be a win-win situation as the media could encourage people-to-people contact by highlighting news that could interest them such as in trade, tourism, culture and sports.

With internet connectivity, the proposed link-up would not be a problem.
Alternatively, NBC could readily utilized the NAM News Network – NNN either to upload their stories or extract items. PNG is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and had attended the grouping’s ministers of Information conference in Kuala Lumpur in 2005 which gave the go-ahead for the
setting-up of the Malaysia-initiated news exchange entity. NNN is based in Bernama.

Make new friends but keep the old ones ...

2009-06-21T20:40:00.005+08:00

Away from home on this Fathers' Day, I must thank my colleague in Kota Kinabalu Newmond for keeping me company. We were at the waterfront just as the sun was going down. It was a fantastic view that would remain vivid in my mind for sometime.
I had arrived in the Sabah capital this afternoon for the 1st Joint Committee on Information and Communication Technology (JC-ICT) Meeting between Malaysia and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Bernama was roped in as the PNG side had proposed to have exchange of programmes and news between its National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) with us.

As I look forward to meeting the PNG representatives, I cherish the evening chat with Newmond, who has been heading our KK bureau for the last three years.
We spoke about work and non-work stuff. In the process, I learn more about him.
While I get the chance to meet new people as I carry out my job, my friends will always be important in my life. Just as the saying goes:
Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.

Starting a friendship with flowers ...

2009-06-15T19:05:00.004+08:00

Browsing the internet, I came across this article about friendship. I thought I should paste it on this blog, more so after a friend emailed me the photo today -- well ahead of friendship day.
Though many of us have little problem of making new friends, some struggle just to get near people they are interested to know.
Here's what the article says:

Starting a friendship is a social skill that takes years to learn. Doing it successfully, like with most skills, involves a lot of trial and error on your part. Knowing when to approach a person, picking the right topic to start a conversation, and finding the guts to start it may come naturally to some people.
Others find making friends difficult due to shyness and the lack of confidence in their verbal skills.
Whichever the case is, one good way to start a friendship without some of the awkwardness is to give flowers on the right occasions.

Flowers can sometimes be more eloquent than people. Different roses, for instance, have varying shades of meaning for every affair.
Also, giving flowers mean that you value a relationship (or future relationship) enough to go out of your way to make the person feel special.
Starting a friendship involves confidence, trust, and effort. Giving flowers certainly makes the person appreciate your efforts more in trying to be friends.
However, before giving flowers to people you'd like to be friends with, make sure that you know the right flowers to pick. They should be appropriate to the occasion.
For example, if you're attending a birthday celebration for a person that you are not that closely acquainted with, giving orange roses says that you want to know her better.
If you're at a wedding, giving yellow roses to the newlyweds mean that you are glad to share their happiness.
Peach and pink roses convey admiration, so if you want to start a friendship with an officemate (or anyone whose work you appreciate), pink or peach flowers are the best choice.

Sketching a new dimension ...

2009-06-14T18:48:00.008+08:00

The National Art Gallery's latest display sketches a new dimension -- tourism through art.

Entitled "Mosaics of Malaysia", the exhibition showcases the wide-ranging work of China's renowned artist Zhang Zhou.
National Art Gallery director-general Dr Mohamed Najib Ahmad Dawa said the exhibition was significant as it commemorated 35 years of friendly relations
between Malaysia and China, capped by the recent visit of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to Beijing.
"What makes it special is the sharp observation of a foreign artist to transform the beauty and prosperity of Malaysia's rich culture and landscape into enthralling art pieces," he said as we walked along, admiring the display.
Zhang Zhou has captured not only a number of popular tourist destinations in
detail on canvas but also the country's flora, fauna and habitat. Commissioned by a Malaysian collector, the artist took six years to produce the 100 paintings on display.
The panoramic night view of Kuala Lumpur city centre, Penang Bridge, the Putrajaya mosque, the Siti Khadijah Market in Kota Baharu and the national day parade are among scenes illustrated by the 52 year-old Beijing-born artist.
At the centre of the magnificent spectrum of artworks is a huge, delicate touch entitled "Keranamu Malaysia".

The exhibition, which began yesterday, will run until Aug 31. Admission is free and the opening hours are from 10am to 6pm daily except on public holidays.
"This is something not to be missed as the uniqueness of his artwork illustrates the perspective of a foreign artist towards our surroundings which we often take for granted," Dr Najib said showing Zhang Zhou's fine drawing of rubber trees.

Peace of mind ...

2009-06-12T12:06:00.008+08:00

Din 'discovered' this place in Semenyih and jokingly told me that I would cry if I miss it. He told me about its clear stream, clean air and serenity.
Getting to the place was not difficult as it fringes a residential area. But not many people know about it except for those who were bold enough to take the risk to clear the area and turned them into orchards. Apart from matured durian trees, starfruit, banana and papaya were being cultivated.

We bumped into an elderly man on a motorcycle, carrying a basketful of durian which he had just collected from the area.
"This is good durians from the jungle," he said, happily selling us the whole lot for RM40.

A sight to remember ...