Perpaduan milik siapa?

SIAPAKAH yang menjadi pemilik perpaduan negara ini? Adakah ia milik warga Malaysia yang sah dan berpegang kepada Perlembagaan, Rukunegara dan tatacara negara ini? Atau perpaduan ini bergantung kepada warga luar untuk menentukan pasang-surut ikatan hubungan interaksi antara anggotanya?

Sejak kebelakangan ini, banyak isu hubungan etnik menjadi persoalan yang turut disimpulkan dengan fahaman politik masing-masing. Ada yang memahami sejarah kehadiran hubungan yang rencam dan majmuk ini manakala ada pula yang mahu mendengar mengikut keselesaan masing-masing sehingga mengetepikan rentetan susur-galur sejarah hubungan etnik semata-mata untuk memastikan ia tidak mengancam kepercayaan politik mereka.

Tidak ketinggalan puak yang mahu menukar sejarah agar muncul sebuah negara dengan penginstitusian yang sejiwa dengan rasa hati mereka dan bukan majoriti kerana lebih berkecenderungan berpaksikan kepada fahaman politik idealisme dan bukan real politik.

PROFESOR MADYA DR. SIVAMURUGAN PANDIAN
Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan
Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Pidato 1Malaysia 2012 dapat sambutan

Di negara ini, bahasa Melayu bukan hanya untuk orang Melayu. Ini kerana apabila ia diangkat sebagai bahasa kebangsaan, bahasa Melayu menjadi milik seluruh rakyat Malaysia baik Bumiputera Sabah serta Sarawak, Cina dan India atau apa sahaja keturunan mereka.

Bagaimanapun, kedudukannya sebagai bahasa rasmi negara hari ini seolah-olah tidak bermakna apabila generasi muda, khususnya bukan Melayu dilihat tidak berminat untuk bertutur dalam bahasa kebangsaan.

Bukan sekadar tidak fasih dengan nahu yang lintang-pukang, mereka turut mencampur aduk bahasa Inggeris bersamanya sehingga menjadi bahasa rojak yang tidak enak didengar.

Lebih malang, ada yang langsung tidak tahu berbahasa Melayu.

Sekiranya dibiarkan, fenomena tersebut dikhuatiri merencatkan agenda penyatuan rakyat menerusi gagasan 1Malaysia.

MAS laksana peraturan baru bagasi kabin

15 Mei - Dalam persediaan untuk menyertai Oneworld Alliance, Malaysian Airline System mengumumkan peraturan baharu bagasi kabin syarikat itu yang akan dilaksanakan untuk semula penerbangan mulai hari ini.
Menurut kenyataan MAS, penumpang kelas ekonomi dibenarkan membawa satu bagasi tangan manakala untuk penumpang kelas Bisnes dan kelas Pertama, dibenarkan dua bagasi tangan.
Setiap bagasi tangan tidak boleh melebihi 36 sm panjang, 23 sm lebar dan 56 sm tinggi, dengan berat maksimum 7 kg.

Semua bagasi kabin mesti mematuhi undang-undang tempatan serta
langkah-langkah keselamatan yang ditetapkan oleh lapangan terbang.
Kadar biasa akan dikenakan ke atas bagasi yang melebihi ketetapan itu.
Selain itu, setiap penumpang dibenarkan membawa beg tangan kecil dan
tongkat serta salah satu daripada barangan berikut iaitu komputer riba, beg bimbit, beg kamera atau beg binokular, kata MAS.

Mereka yang membawa bayi, boleh membawa satu beg mengandungi makanan bayi dan lampin tidak melebihi 5 kg, kot dan kereta sorong bayi boleh lipat, kata kenyataan itu.
Oneworld Alliance ialah rangkaian syarikat penerbangan yang terbang ke 950 destinasi di 150 negara.
Menerusi gabungan lebih 2,600 pesawat yang melakukan 10,000 penerbangan sehari, Oneworld mengangkut 358 juta penumpang setahun.

Syarikat penerbangan itu dijadual menyertai Oneworld Alliance menjelang

RM4 milllion wind turbines functioned for only four days

FAILED TECHNOLOGY: One of the wind assisted turbines to generate electricity that failed to function



Four wind turbines costing about RM4 million commissioned last year to generate electricity for the villagers of Telok Melano are not functioning anymore.


Village head Mohamad Pahi told reporters on Saturday that the wind turbines functioned for only four days.

“We now have to rely on the generator set to produce electricity for our daily needs and to be in touch with the rest of the world,” he said.

The village head is urging the relevant authority to look into the matter urgently.

“For now, the villagers and I can only say it is a failed technology,” he lamented.

The villagers also urged the authority to look into the possibility of building a new jetty to replace the present one that had collapsed and became unusable by boat operators, who need it to berth their boats for loading and unloading goods and their passengers, who are mainly villagers.

During the weekend, Telok Melano village, located at the southern tip of Sarawak, played host to Kuching Specialist Hospital’s 2012 Community Service Outreach Programme in conjunction with World Nursing Day.

It was graced by Assistant Minister of Public Health Dr Jerip Susil and participated by doctors and staff of Kuching Specialist Hospital, dentists from government hospitals and officers from the National Registration Department.

The main activities held were health screening and assisting the villagers with their national registration and documentation needs.

Telok Melano, a quiet and tranquil village with sandy beaches and clear blue seawater, is about two-hour’s boat ride from the coastal town of Sematan.

The village also runs a homestay programme.

It is home to around 200 people from about 50 families and has a primary school and a police station.

Sibu celebrates Mother’s Day in big way

There is a ‘Mother Teresa’ in every mother whose immense sacrifice from the unimaginable labour pain to struggling to ensure the wellbeing of their children and family is beyond fathom.


And what better way than to thank and honour them in a ‘big’ way as what SUPP Sibu branch did yesterday, showering them with carnation, appreciation cards and food vouchers.

For it was the day when some 15,000 mothers from all nooks and corners of Sibu town were given a real treat at Sibu Town Square Phase One for their contribution to their families and society at large.

The smell of carnation filled the air and the celebration mood engulfed the riverine town.

Mothers formed a long queue stretching from the centre of the main stage right to the tower facing a bank for the three-hour event, organised by SUPP Sibu branch.

By 11am, the crowd swelled to a mammoth size and vehicles moved bumper-to-bumper near Sanyan Road.

Temenggong Vincent Lau Lee Ming and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman cum Lanang MP Datuk Tiong Thai King were on hand to show appreciation to the mothers.

“The event is very meaningful as it is our way of telling mothers that their immense sacrifice is appreciated. Being a mother is no walk in the park as it is more hectic than a full time job.

“Being also a homemaker in ensuring that the family institution is in order is indeed a huge sacrifice that mothers make,” Lau told reporters.

“We need to show our love and respect for our parents not just in words but also in action,” a vice chairman of the party Daniel Ngieng added.

Kapitan Datuk Janet Lau described women as great as they could accept praise or the lack of it.

“Women can accept it whether they are being praised or not. If we are praised for being great, we will not let it get into our heads. But, if we are not praised, we still go on. That’s the beauty of being women,” she noted.

Tiong hoped that the occasion would bring happiness to all mothers despite it being a short celebration.

“We just want mothers to have a great time and that their sacrifice and contribution to the society are highly appreciated,” he said.

Meanwhile, a mother of a seven-month-old toddler, Intan Nalen, was lost for words when interviewed yesterday.

“I really must thank the organiser for remembering the contribution and sacrifice of all mothers. We are so touched by their sincere gesture of expressing their gratitude publicly,” she giggled.

She added: “I have never seen so many people or mothers converging at one place to celebrate Mother’s Day. I hope this can become a yearly affair.”

For those present, they made use of the opportunity to foster closer bond and solidarity.

An employee of a private company Maureen Gamang said the occasion was an excellent platform for people to gather together and strengthen the spirit of goodwill.

Chieng Yew Ai, hugging her granddaughter Joline Lau when collecting her voucher, admitted she had never experienced anything like this before.

“In all honesty, I am truly thrilled and this is one Mother’s Day I will long remember,” she said.

Comnent :  Why not next year 'Mother's day',  we have a picnic/family gathering at Sibu Town Square ground, putting aside our difference of color, religious belief, races and political belief / One in 1Malaysia way.

Unemployment : 76,200 graduates still unemployed

The unemployment problem among graduates would be critical if job opportunities are limited and their degree mismatches the demands of job market.


Sarawak social activist Wan Zain Syed Modzar said almost every year, universities and colleges produced new graduates, however, job opportunities were still limited.

“The latest statistic showed that about 76,200 graduates are still unemployed and the numbers will continue to rise with new graduates passing out each year, all competing for employment,” he said, yesterday.

According to him, the government need to take the initiative to reduce unemployment rate by creating new job opportunities in various sectors to cater for new graduates.

“If the job opportunities are limited, new graduates could also experience difficulty in getting a job as for every vacancy available, there are 50 graduates applying for it,” he stressed.

At the same time, graduates should not find it difficult to obtain jobs if their degrees match the job market demand, he said.

Wan added that employers play important role in selection process of applicants that matched the requirement of the job.

“However, graduates should also not be too choosy when job-hunting as they need to pay back their education loan once they complete their studies,” he said.

He had also foreseen the use of ‘insiders’ in securing jobs for extended family members as well as friends.

“This trend has been in practise for a long time. However, it is rarely exposed due to interest of important person in the company who probably has use his influence to hire family members as employees,” he said.

Therefore, he suggested that government and private agencies advertise their job vacancies available, to prevent favouritism.